Trust Me
by VibrantEchoes
Summary: Although Kirby and two of his allies are quick to help out their new "friend," Magolor, Meta Knight isn't so certain about him... There may well be more to this foreign visitor than meets the eye. Set during Return to Dream Land, but contains bits of anime canon, too. Contains Meta x Magolor dirties starting in chapter 3. All lemon chapters are labeled as such.
1. Chapter 1

Magolor was furiously typing away at a keyboard. His ship, the Lor Starcutter, had seen better days. After just managing to escape Landia's wrath on Halcandra, his ship had broken into pieces, scattering across this planet called Popstar. Of course, though this was his destination in the first place, he did not expect so many vital parts to scatter across the planet upon crash landing.

Luckily for him, the one being he had hoped to get help from showed his face. Kirby, the hero of this planet whom he had heard much about, had immediately offered to help gather the parts again, and 3 of his companions offered their assistance as well. He was grateful to be able to get his help, though the other three that arrived with him were unexpected. It seemed he at least had Kirby and two of the others completely on his side, but the third... that knight with the wings... Although that one, whom he learned went by "Meta Knight," agreed to help him, he seemed wary. He had a feeling this Meta Knight wasn't going to be as easily fooled as the other three... He seemed like an intelligent person, at least more so than the other three. Maybe they shared some interests?

He sighed, looking up at the screen displaying what parts of his ship were still missing. Earning Meta Knight's trust wasn't going to be an easy job...

While the others had gone off in search of the ship's pieces, the knight in question had opted to stay behind for now. The first of the pieces they decided to go after had landed in nearby, familiar territory that was easy to traverse, and only inhabited by weak monsters. Any one of them could have easily gotten it on their own; they had no need of him. Yet.

He stood behind a corner, out of sight of the control room, but within earshot, listening intently. Although his companions had been quick to help their new "friend," he was not so hasty to jump into a situation without first knowing exactly what he was getting into. This alien visitor seemed friendly and harmless at first glance, but so did just about everyone, and in his experience, it was extremely rare that anything good came to this planet from other worlds. There was every chance of there being more to Magolor than meets the eye. He claimed to come from another dimension Meta Knight had never heard of in all his millenia, so how did he know about Planet Popstar? Why did he specifically aim to land on it? Even in its damaged state, what were the full capabilities of the ship? What did one person need a ship this large for? These and many more questions presented themselves, and while the vigilant knight wanted answers, he had more than enough tact to know asking them directly was unwise.

He instead thought it better to use one of his sharpest skills besides sword fighting: Eavesdropping. It was surprising how many people spoke their thoughts aloud when they thought no one was there to hear them. Even if he was discovered, it couldn't be hard to play off—he could claim to have been passing through from elsewhere in the ship. It wasn't as if he was actually hiding.

"I wonder if Kirby and the others will try and get the Energy Spheres as well..." he heard the foreigner wonder aloud. "I don't need them in order to fly the ship, but if I have enough of them, I can put some rooms into working order. Give them all something they might enjoy! Maybe have some fun games, a couple of challenging trials... I'm sure they'd love it! Maybe I can gain some more of his trust that way..." he mused, checking the amount of Energy Spheres that were missing from the ship. There were so many... He wasn't sure if that plan could work. Who'd have the patience to find and retrieve every single one?

"He looks like he'd be the kind of person to read up on ancient artifacts..." he continued, putting a finger to his chin pensively. "If I recall, this planet does have a Fountain of Dreams... Maybe we can talk about that? Or perhaps those wish-granting comets? Yeah, that seems like a good lead to a conversation..." He had to find some way to gain Meta's confidence. He would need all the help he could possibly get for his return to Halcandra. Not to mention the element of surprise was crucial for what he had planned...

By overhearing his musings, Meta Knight learned a few things and took them into account.

1: Magolor was aware he was not completely trusted. He was no fool.

2: He was actively going to attempt to gain that trust. Whether it was out of a genuine desire for friendship or to take advantage of it, however, was not clear. Safer to assume the worst until proven otherwise.

3: He knew about the Fountain of Dreams, as well as Nova, meaning he was even more familiar with this planet and its greater powers than was originally thought. This likely meant he had an interest in them, and it was unlikely that interest was fueled by good intentions.

Deciding it was unlikely he'd find out much more by eavesdropping, the masked warrior waited a long moment, then stepped out from behind the corner. There was no need for him to announce his arrival vocally; one of the unfortunate aspects of wearing armored boots was the sound of his footsteps reverberating off the walls. Besides, speaking incautiously might alert Magolor that he'd been overheard.

The Halcandran's ears twitched and swiveled to the side as he heard footsteps behind him, and he turned around quickly, eyes a bit wide in surprise. He'd thought everyone had left! Who could have made their way into his ship?! He gave a sigh of relief as he got a good look at who the steps belonged to.

"Oh, Meta Knight! Gosh, you shouldn't scare me like that... I nearly had a heart attack! Eheheh..."

The knight's expression remained unchanged, and he gave no immediate reply. Magolor awkwardly cleared his throat before continuing.

"So... what are you doing here? I thought you went with the others? Unless they've already returned?" He looked around some. Did he simply miss their arrival? Meta Knight seemed to be the only one here. How odd.

"Lo siento. They have no need of me yet, so I decided to let them handle it on their own," the swordsman explained in his thick accent, slipping between both languages he knew without putting much thought into it. He crossed the room, stopping once he was only a few feet away from Magolor. "To be honest, I'm more than certain Kirby could get the first piece of the ship with no aid, if he wanted to. I thought it better to wait here and take someone else's place on the next trip." He cast his eyes to the ship's control panel, and tried to shift the conversation. "Besides, I must admit: This vessel intrigues me. I have yet to see one like it, and I was hoping to learn more about it."

"Oh... I see." Magolor replied a little dryly. He wasn't sure if Meta Knight was truly just waiting until they located a ship part in a more dangerous area, or if he was actually watching Magolor closely out of distrust. He decided against asking for clarity. That wouldn't win him any points.

"This interests you too, huh?" Magolor picked up his tone a little, putting on his most convincing smile, even if it wasn't completely visible under his collar. He was happy for the topic change, although he knew he had to be cautious about how much he gave away.

"The Lor Starcutter is one of a kind, for sure. I found this ship back on my home planet. I never would have thought interdimensional transport would be possible without this. Well, at the very least, I never thought such a thing would be so easy. It's such a magnificent ship, but I'll confess, to this day, I still do not know every secret this ship holds inside. I'm hoping to one day find out. Perhaps we can both learn more as the ship's parts are returned?" he offered.

"Hmm... Doubtful that I'd be of any help," the swordsman mused. "This vessel is too foreign to me, nothing like my own other than that it flies. I would like to learn whatever I can, though. Interdimensional travel would be immensely useful if I had it at my own disposal..." Though he made it seem like an offhand comment, in truth Meta Knight was attempting to steer the conversation still. If this ship had an advantage over his own in battle, it would behoove him to know in advance, just in case. "Was that a modification of your own, or an ability it already possessed when you discovered it?"

"Ah, yes, being able to travel across dimensions is very useful, but finding a way to do so is rare... and dangerous. I have no doubt in my mind that people would abuse this for their own selfish desires, if given the chance. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't have dared use this function, had my life not been in danger..." the foreigner sighed, ears lowering. In all honesty, he himself was doing the very thing he claimed to fear others doing, but if he made it sound like he didn't approve, maybe it would help his case.

"I did not add the function to the Lor. I had read about it in its database here," he gestured to screens, which had changed to show vast amounts of texts. Some parts of the text mentioned such things involving "fountains" and "dreams." Other parts mentioned the existence of wish-granting comets, and their relation to the Starcutter. A glimpse of the word "crown" could be seen heading another wall of text before the screens changed back to a world-view of Popstar.

"This ship really is amazing. I've learned so much about so many things because of this, and I doubt it would have been possible otherwise."

"Unfortunate," the armsmaster stated, "that we know little to nothing of its origins..." His eyes stayed fixated on the screen, skimming through the walls of text it displayed. It presented information regarding several powerful artifacts and entities he himself knew of, but it was useful to know what Magolor knew. It was apparent that there wasn't much information the Halcandran _didn't_ have about this planet. There was a very brief mention of Nightmare and the war that had been waged against his forces, and only when he made sure his own name wasn't listed did he avert his gaze, his wings ruffling just the tiniest bit under his cape. It was a subject he was less than fond of returning to.

"Yes..." Magolor agreed, cautiously skirting a direct response. "All I can assume is that whomever created the Lor was the same person, or people, that created many other ancient artifacts." He shook his head before moving away from the keyboard. "Still, thanks to the Lor's database, we're many steps closer to learning of the origins of such artifacts!" He smiled, clasping his hands together. It was obvious that Magolor was very interested in such knowledge, and very proud of himself for having found it.

"True, that," the winged warrior concurred, just as a curious thought flashed across his mind. "Now that I think of it, you wouldn't happen to have any records of this, would you?" he asked in earnest, unsheathing his sword to present it to the foreigner. He only did this knowing that although it was an extremely powerful weapon in his hands, it was all but useless to anyone who would steal it. There was little to no need for caution in this case.

"Hm? Let me see..." Magolor leaned over to get a closer look at both sides of the blade. It was golden in color, with smaller blades extending from the edges of the main blade, and deep red gemstones were embedded in both sides of the hilt.

"Hmm... The records of the ship only show this sword in pictures, but never give a name or description. I assumed it was created by the same powers that built the rest of the artifacts." He straightened up again. "If I'm to be completely honest, other than a fancy design, it doesn't seem to be that much different from a regular blade. Maybe that's why there are no files on it," he guessed, shrugging. He was a bit curious as to why the knight asked, however. Was he perhaps investigating its worth? Or maybe he was hoping it would be a grand, all-powerful sword? Regardless, to Magolor, it looked more like a wall decoration than anything else.

"I thought as much," the knight shrugged, returning the sword to its sheath. He tried not to let his disappointment show; he really had been hoping for an answer or two. "To be honest, its origins are somewhat of a mystery even to me. For the most part, your assumption is correct: It boasts little more than an impressive appearance and monetary value. Even design-wise, it's terrible as an actual weapon. Gold is perhaps the weakest of all metals, and the spiked edges are horrible for aerodynamism," he admitted, recalling how incredulous he'd been upon seeing the fabled blade for the first time. "In the hands of most, it's a pitiful excuse for a weapon. In the hands of the very few who are deemed worthy to wield it, however... somehow, it contains an inexplicable amount of power, though I can't fathom why," he faltered just a little, trying to make sense of it himself as he explained. He still didn't fully understand how or why the sword was as powerful a weapon as it was when he was the one using it, or why it didn't seem to work for anyone else but Kirby.

"To this day, its nature mystifies me," he sighed somewhat defeatedly, shaking his head. "I had thought off-handedly maybe somehow the answers were in your database, but I suppose it wouldn't matter much to anyone who can't use the sword, so it stands to reason you wouldn't know anything either."

"Hm... I'll have to input that data into the Lor myself later, then," he noted, jotting down a few quick bits of what Meta Knight had said on the keyboard for later. "I'm assuming you are one of the few who can draw out its power? Perhaps you know of any others? Maybe they can give some more details? I would like to study the sword and figure out its true power," he said in earnest, giving the sheath another glance. If it really was that powerful, and if there was some way he himself could use it, he would like to know...

"It answers to none other than myself and Kirby," Meta Knight confirmed. "Irónico, eso..." he mused, absentmindedly slipping into his other fluent language for a moment before correcting himself. "Er, that is, I find it ironic. The only two beings deemed 'worthy' thus far are myself, a trained and experienced veteran, and... well, a toddler, to be brutally honest." He allowed himself a small smirk at that, knowing it wasn't visible. "He's proven himself many times over, of course," he quickly added, more aware than anyone that the child was technically more powerful than even he was based on potential alone rather than actual skill, "but it's still just a little silly."

"A-ah... I see... So Kirby is likely even less knowledgeable than yourself on the mater..." Magolor nodded, putting a finger to his chin in thought. "Still, if the sword accepts the both of you, perhaps there is some connection? Maybe you both have more power in you than it may seem? Or maybe it has to do with your species? Pardon me if I'm wrong here, I'm mainly guessing, but am I correct in assuming you and Kirby are of the same species? You do share some similarities..." he noted the similar body shape, although Kirby lacked wings and hands. He assumed the size difference was merely due to age.

Meta Knight had had this exact conversation several times, and it frustrated him each time more than the last on the basis that he still didn't have any solid answers, although he didn't let it show. "If I'm being honest with you, I don't even know that for certain," he admitted. "Technically speaking, we're not directly related. I can only speculate that we look alike because we share the same creator, and the similarities don't go far beyond... 'aesthetic,' I guess you'd say. Why he made us in the same image is beyond me." He shook his head, off-handedly wondering why it was they looked so alike given that their abilities in combat were not very similar. "To sum it up, we weren't built with the same capabilities, only similar looks. How that relates to the sword, I've no idea," he finished, once again thoroughly reminded of his ignorance on the matter.

Magolor tilted his head, a little confused. That... was not an answer he was expecting. "Creator? Design? Built? Pardon my asking, but you and Kirby sound more like... machines than living beings, the way you talk about it. Er... Maybe we could ask your... 'creator' about what it means, then? Surely they would know of some answers," he suggested.

"That he would, if he were still alive, el hijo de p-" the swordsman stopped himself just before uttering a very blunt curse, shaking his head a little. "My apologies. If you'd like an explanation, you're welcome to one, but suffice it to say it's unlikely we'd be getting any answers from him, even if he were still around to give them." He grit his teeth a little, dabbling in unwanted memories and a few unpleasant thoughts just briefly. "Thank Nova he no longer is."

"Erk..." Magolor flinched at the slight outburst. That probably didn't win him any points with Meta, touching a nerve like that. "I, uh... I'm sorry for digging up bad memories... Maybe we should switch to something else. Something a bit more pleasant to think about, yes? Like uh..." Darn, he couldn't think of a good topic off the top of his head. _Think, Magolor, think!_

"...Er... May I ask where you got that... unique accent?" he asked, mentally berating himself for such a stupid question as soon as he'd asked it. _What a wonderful topic change, you idiot!_

"Even that, I cannot tell you," the warrior sighed, turning his attention back to the foreigner. That was another question he'd been asked often, and yet again he lacked answers. "It's just a strange quirk I was made with, I suppose. Somehow I know it's called "Spanish," but I know not where it originates from, and I have yet to meet anyone else who's familiar with it. It's not of this planet, that much I can assure you." His wings ruffled just a little under the cape again as he speculated that he was given the accent as some sort of joke he would never understand. Nightmare always did have a strange and cruel sense of humor.

"Hm... What an odd, somewhat pointless addition to a creation..." the alien mused, one ear twitching. "I admit, you, and by extension, Kirby intrigue me. I would like to learn more about you two, if you would allow me the chance, of course." Magolor gave another smile. He would have to dig deep to find out information about their "creator." There was no way he was just going to let that detail pass him by, but for now, he thought it best not to push it any further. Trust first, then information later.

"You may study to your heart's content and find yourself with very few answers," the knight warned him. "It's likely that no one has more information about us than myself, and though even I may not know the full story, you're welcome to ask." This time he was able to keep his wings still as they threatened to ruffle again. "It's not the most pleasant of tales when told from a first-person perspective, however."

"Ah... Then I assume you haven't had the... best of lives, have you?" Magolor's ears drooped at the knight's words. "Well, either way, I would still like to hear of this story, if you're comfortable with sharing it. But... It doesn't have to be today. We can postpone it until a later day if you're more comfortable with that," he offered, seeming concerned for the knight's feelings.

"It matters not to me," the winged warrior shrugged under his cape. "My only request is for Kirby to be absent for it. He's seen and experienced more than the average child, surely, but... the concept of war is something I'd rather not introduce him to just yet." He glanced away momentarily, looking a little distant. "He's had to set aside too much of his childhood already."

"You're right. It's probably for the best that he doesn't hear it," Magolor nodded in agreement before heading for a different room, beckoning the swordsman to follow with one wave of his disembodied hand. He lead his guest to a sort of dining room table, motioning for Meta to come and sit down. He figured that this wouldn't be a short story, so it'd be best if they got comfortable.

"Right. Well then, I'm ready to listen to this story," Magolor prompted, clasping his hands together, ears perked up.

 _This should be interesting..._


	2. Chapter 2

Meta Knight chose a seat directly across from Magolor, settling himself into it before beginning. While he normally wasn't very animated in nature, he was well aware recounting his life story had a way of making him 'talk with his hands,' so he unwrapped his cape from around himself, letting it drape behind him. It was a little strange; he hadn't done this within sight of anyone for quite some time. He cleared his throat, finding a decent starting point.

"Your ship's database mentions an intergalactic war that was fought here in this dimension several millenia ago. I'm to assume you know of it?"

"Yes, I've read what little about it the ship's logs have," the alien nodded eagerly. "It involved that horrible being known as 'Nightmare,' right? I don't envy the people that had to fight against that guy... From what the logs say, Nightmare wasn't exactly a pushover. Shame there doesn't appear to be much else written about it," he sighed. "Why do you ask?"

"His forces... spared very few scribes," Meta Knight chose his words carefully, not wanting to make things sound too graphic. "And even then, half or more of what was recorded has been lost to time, pushed aside and reduced to history barely deemed worthy even of being taught in schools. But I remember it clearly. Too clearly, at times..." By now, enough time had passed to heal the psychological wounds left by countless years of combat, but a few scars still remained. Rarely, some of the images and sounds permanently impressed upon him would haunt his sleep. He didn't bother to say it, though; he didn't want or need anyone's pity, and his state of mind was otherwise sound.

"Our records, as well as yours, have no mention of how that war began," he continued, rather than letting himself dwell on the less pleasant aspects of this topic, "but I can tell you."

Magolor's eyes widened in realization. "Wait... Are you... Are you telling me you were _there_ for the war? But... that was thousands of years ago, wasn't it?" he asked cynically. His face wasn't visible, granted, but the rest of the knight's body gave no indication of significant aging, meaning he likely had many years left. He appeared to be no more than middle-aged at most. There was no way someone could live that long, was there? Then again, he did say he was _created_ , not born...

"Um... I'm sorry, but I'm finding it just a bit hard to believe someone could live for that long," the Halcandran admitted, scratching his head.

"It's not as if I've lived for millions of years," Meta Knight shrugged. "Around... fifty-thousand is more accurate, give or take a decade," he waved a hand dismissively, not feeling up to doing the math at the moment. "Pero, si, I was there for the war. In fact, I was the one responsible for starting it, although I'm not too terribly proud of that." He wore a somewhat bittersweet smile under his mask, not looking his host in the eye. He stared at the table before him without really seeing it, watching a memory play in his mind.

"Ironic, isn't it, that one of Nightmare's most powerful creations, one that he was so proud of upon having made it, should betray him?"

"A-ah..." the smaller of the two tensed a little at the word 'betray.' "Still, all of this information is very, well... shocking, to say the least!" he said in earnest. "It's really amazing, though... The fact that you were the one who started the war recorded in the ship's logs, and yet still live to this very day... It's all so fascinating!" A smile could easily be seen under his collar. It was quite obvious that the alien was very fond of this new development. Someone who had lived that long must have vast amounts of wisdom and knowledge.

The knight across the table from him leaned back in his seat a little, reminded of how fortunate he was to still be living when it was put so simply.

"I was made to last, I suppose," he shrugged noncommitally.

"No kidding... I guess this means that Kirby's got a long life to live too..." Magolor took a moment to think, trying to decide on what topic of the war he should ask about next.

"Uh... If I may ask, who all was a part of the war? Specifically, your allies. Were they all other creations of Nightmare, or were there also fighters from other planets helping out?"

"The battles we waged spanned across the entire galaxy, and possibly further," the armsmaster explained with a sweeping motion of his hand. "Though I was able to gain the help of some of his other 'mistakes,' as he called us," he nearly spat the word out in scorn, "most of our army was made up of victims of his tyranny from countless planets. Pop Star was not very much involved, actually," he added off-handedly as he realized it.

"I see... And uh... How did this war end, exactly? Who managed to finally stop Nightmare for good, and how did they manage to do it?" the foreigner continued to question, making a mental note to add all of this information to the ship's database later.

That particular inquiry made the knight's wings visibly twitch. The reality of the answer was frustrating as all Hell.

"Well," he started, sighing, "our efforts were doomed to fail from the beginning, given that Nightmare's forces were quite literally infinite. Not even the lot of us combined in one feel swoop were powerful enough to reach him, let alone defeat him. I know this because we tried exactly that." He shut his eyes for a short moment and put his hand to his face, fighting off vibrant memories of that day...

The day he'd led his comrades—his friends—to their deaths.

"Only a handful of us survived that final attack, and we went our separate ways, having lost everything and everyone we held dear." He wrapped his cape around himself once more, withdrawing a little. "Centuries later, I arrived here on this planet to bide my time, hoping perhaps a new generation of warriors would succeed where I had failed. Eventually, Kirby's ship crash landed here, and although it interrupted an important stage of his growth in doing so, he still showed signs of exceptional promise very early-on." He suppressed a shudder just then as he tried not to imagine the horrors that could have been wrought, had Kirby not landed here and instead been under Nightmare's control.

"I 'took him under my wing,' so to speak," he allowed himself a slight pun in an attempt to lighten the mood, almost regretting it but not quite, "and ultimately it was he who defeated Nightmare almost single-handedly." He shifted a little in his seat, still wishing he himself had been the one to do it. "Of course, it was due in no small part to Nightmare having grown lazy and overconfident, and letting his guard down..." he muttered the last part spitefully.

"O-oh..." Magolor was sure he hit a a sore spot, but maybe some compassion would chip away at the knight's distrust a little.

"Well... I'm glad he was finally defeated, and it's impressive that Kirby was able to be the one to do so, but... I guess it really wasn't that big of a confidence boost for yourself, was it? That couldn't have been easy to take, even with the good news of Nightmare's defeat." He purposefully lowered his ears, using his most sympathetic tone.

"For the most part, I'm just glad he's dead," the swordsman said bluntly. "It's not really important who did it so long as it's done, ¿correcto?"

"Uh... 'C-correcto,'" the alien repeated, nodding slightly. "So I guess life has been calmer around here for you all ever since Nightmare's defeat?"

"For a time, si," Meta Knight answered lightly. "But he was only one of many tyrants who have tried to terrorize this planet. ' _Tried_ ' being the key word there," he put emphasis on that one word, his statement a subtle warning. "Many entities who equaled or even surpassed his power have made attempts on this land, and all of them have perished at our hands thus far." He met the Halcandran's eyes directly, taking on a tone that was uncharacteristically friendly, though the implications behind his words were clearly not so.

"Anyone else who tries to take this planet for their own would be quite unwise in doing so, wouldn't you agree?"

"Er, yes..." Magolor's ears pinned back a little as he answered, and although it was hard to return the eye contact, he had to do so, or it would be far too obvious he had something to hide. He wasn't sure he'd ever talked to someone so intimidating before in his life!

"I couldn't fathom anyone being worse than someone like Nightmare, but I'll take your word for it. You know more about this than I do, after all." The catlike foreigner closed his eyes some, thinking a bit. It still sounded like Meta didn't trust him too much, but he felt he was making progress, little by little. Surely it was a good sign he'd opened up to him about an experience as terrible as fighting an entire intergalactic war, at least.

"I'm... gonna take a guess and say Kirby played a part in defeating most of these tyrants?" he prompted, tilting his head.

"You would be correct," the other male confirmed, relaxing a little more again. "He's had help along the way, certainly, but even without it, he shows exceptional promise in his abilities. He lacks only in skill and intelligence, but they will come with time."

"Wow. I wouldn't want to be on his bad side." The alien averted his gaze. Definitely a thing to keep in mind... "I wonder, if that's what he's capable of at his age, just what he'll be able to do at yours?"

"Oh, I've no idea what his full potential is," the knight shook his head a little, putting his hands up. "All I know is it's terrifying to imagine it. Although my mental capacities and experience far exceed his, I've likely hit my peak by now, if not passed it," he admitted a little reluctantly. "I'm limited to speed, flight, and the use of weapons. Kirby can wield more powers than I care to count, and eventually a day will come when he does so strategically, with no assistance." He let his arms rest at his sides again. "As it stands now, well... there are times I wonder if he's even aware of what he's doing."

"Ah, I see... To be honest, from what you've told me, I'm worried that once he does gain enough experience, he may be capable of destroying a whole planet, or worse, maybe even an entire dimension!" Magolor shuddered at the thought of such a possibility.

"It could become possible, but I doubt he would do any such thing," Meta Knight shrugged off the idea, dismissively waving one hand. "He's very benevolent, and sometimes even too kind for his own good. He fights only when he believes he has good reason to." He tried not to feel very proud, but he was pleased with Kirby's virtues thus far. They were not much different than his own, and he was sure part of that was due to his mentoring. Nova knew no one else was raising him well.

"Oh, that's good, then. Still, it's just a little unnerving for me to hear... I-I mean, I only just met you four today, after all. And then to hear all this... It's a lot to take in. Eheheh..." Magolor admitted, giving a bit of an awkward laugh. It definitely sounded like the group had gone through a lot already. Too bad he needed them to go through even more.

"I suppose this has been a lot for one day, hasn't it?" the puff opposite him said resignedly, getting up from his seat. "If that'll be all, shall I take my leave?" he asked, already turning away a little.

"Er- wait!" the foreigner interjected quickly, reaching out with one hand. Meta Knight turned back to face him, a little surprised.

"I mean... Well, I do want to thank you all for agreeing to help me repair my ship, so... I figured it was only right to offer you all a place to spend the night?" he offered, and proceeded to make good use of his silver tongue. "The Lor has a good set of bedrooms that you all may use if you'd like. Besides, it saves travel time, I'm sure. Many important parts have been scattered across all of Pop Star, after all."

"True..." It took the armsmaster a moment to weigh his options. Magolor did have some very good points, but common sense would dictate staying with a near-complete stranger was unwise. On the other hand, he remembered the old saying: 'Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.' If, in fact, Magolor turned out to be the latter, it would be easier to learn that by sticking close. Besides, it wasn't as if he was defenseless, should something go awry.

"... I accept your offer, and thank you for it," he said after a long moment, bowing his head a little out of habit. "However, I would still like to leave for a short flight." His wings had been bothering him for quite some time now, and it was getting to be late in the day. If he didn't fly, he was sure he wouldn't sleep well.

"Ah, very well then!" Magolor nodded, clasping his hands together. "I'll show you to a room when you get back. Uh... I hope you have a good flight, Sir," he beamed.

"Er, si..." the knight muttered, passing by the foreigner to leave the ship. Being called 'Sir' outside of the castle always caught him off-guard. "I'll return within the hour."

And with that, the knight stepped outside, and with a few flaps of his wings, became little more than a shrinking dot against the evening sky. The sun had just begun to set behind him, painting Dream Land's cloud-dotted skies pink and scarlet, and the weather was comfortable and fair for flying.

 _He's been nothing but friendly and supportive thus far_ , Meta Knight mused once he was high enough to glide effortlessly from updraft to updraft. It was far easier to focus on his thoughts up here, with nothing to distract him, and the world seemingly so small and far away.

 _Perhaps he really does just want to learn more about this world until he can return home..._ he thought briefly, but then his better judgment took over. _No, I can't be certain of that. I've lived and lost too much to place my faith in anyone so easily._

He recalled a time long ago, when he'd been betrayed and nearly killed by those he thought he could trust the most. It had nearly cost him his life, and that of several others. He didn't intend to make the same mistake again, especially not if it put Kirby at risk. He cared little if his own life ended at this point; he'd lived long and well, and although he'd made some mistakes, he could die at any time with no regrets, satisfied with what he'd done while he was alive. This world's entire future rested not in his hands, but in the child's, and if he were to perish due to his mentor's lack of good judgment...

Best not to think about that.

No, it was safer and wiser to be prepared for the worst-case scenario. If that meant he missed out on making a few friends, well, too bad.

The winged soldier left his train of thought behind when he noticed his three allies on the ground far below him, hauling the Lor Starcutter's oars back toward the ship itself. He angled his wings minutely, turning to head in the same direction.

"Huh... I wonder if Kirby would be capable of flight like that..." Magolor wondered aloud as he finished adding what Meta Knight had told him to the Lor's database. "I'm glad I've gotten Meta to trust me a little, but it still feels like I have a lot of work to do on that front..." A sigh escaped him.

"Still, it was interesting to learn so much information I haven't even known about, concerning the war, and his species..." he contemplated what he'd been told for a small while, giving in to speculation despite his better sense. He wasn't given long to do so, however.

"Knock knock! Guess who's got your stick things!" King Dedede came bursting in with the oars to the Lor hoisted over his shoulder, followed closely by Bandana Dee, Kirby, and Meta Knight, much to the Halcandran's delight... even if he was slightly irritated by the king's obnoxiousness.

 _Could he really not have chosen a better method of informing me...?_ he thought, but a smile was plastered onto his face as he went out to help place the oars into their rightful slots.

"Thank you all very much for bringing me back the oars! Having you all helping me with this truly means a lot to me!" he said in complete honesty, shaking the hands of Dedede, Waddle Dee, and of course, Kirby. Meta Knight stood with his cape wrapped tightly around himself, but when Magolor offered his hand, the swordsman reluctantly accepted, shaking it with a firm grasp.

"I hope you didn't have much trouble on your way," the foreigner added, gazing worriedly at all of them in turn.

"Heh! No problem at all! Whispy Woods was the only real threat, if you can even count him!" Dedede gave a hearty laugh, which the quiet Bandanna Dee nodded in time to.

"I see... Well, now that you all are here, and night is quickly arriving, I wish to offer you all rooms to stay in, as I offered Meta Knight earlier!" he announced, bowing to them just slightly. "It saves travel time, and it's my thanks for your help!"

"It's likely a far cry from your room in the castle, Sire, but the sooner this whole mess is over with, the better," the masked armsman made his stance on it clear. "Traveling back and forth from the castle each day would be a waste of time and energy."

Dedede thought it over for a bit before shrugging and patting Meta's back. "Well, if you say so!" He laughed a bit more before looking around. "So, where's the rooms at anyway?" he asked.

"Um... Right this way..." Magolor said, moving ahead and motioning toward the hallway, leading them to their rooms.

As usual, the King's obnoxious ways didn't fail to irritate Meta Knight, but it took more than that to wane his patience. He was about to follow when he noticed Kirby had been distracted by the ship's screen still displaying walls of scrolling images and text, and probably hadn't heard a word of what was said. He took it upon himself to usher the younger puff after the others, once again taking responsibility for the child by default.

"What am I going to do with you?" he muttered to no one in particular as they headed for their rooms, honestly not knowing the answer.

The only response he got was the same clueless look Kirby tended to give most everyone much of the time.

Magolor led the King and dee to their own rooms, and both of them decided to tuck in for the night. Dedede's snoring could be heard through the door almost immediately after it closed. Finally, the Halcandran led the puffs to the their rooms.

"There are enough rooms here for both of you, but since he's so young, if you'd rather Kirby be in your room alongside you, I can make arrangements," he offered.

"Er..." the older warrior cast a sidelong glance to Kirby, who still looked rather oblivious. He hadn't considered this at all. He knew the child managed fine on his own as far as living arrangements went, but... things also tended to go badly when he was left unsupervised for too long. He had a horrible case of pica that would rear its ugly head every now and again. There was also every chance he could break something, or wake in the middle of the night and go looking for food. At the same time, Meta Knight himself was not at all keen on sharing a bed with him. From what he'd seen of Kirby's sleeping habits, that would make for a _very_ unpleasant night.

"... If there's nothing of great value in these rooms that could go missing or get broken, and if there's no large food storage he can get into, then he should be alright on his own," he concluded.

"Ah. A big eater, is he? Well, thankfully, practically everything in these rooms is nailed down to the floor, so to speak, and the storage room is only unlocked when I need something out of it," Magolor assured. "I guess that means you both get your own separate rooms, then! Will Kirby need anything else, though?" It was best to at least check, if only to earn a bit more of the older warrior's trust.

For a moment the pink puff seemed to consider the question, then shook his head.

"Off you go, then," the older warrior shooed him to his room, and he went without any protest, promptly closing the door behind him.

"Well, if that's everything, then I guess we can call it a day! If you need anything else, please don't hesitate to come and ask!" Magolor bowed to the knight before heading to his own room, and rather hastily at that.

That left the swordsman with the room adjacent to Magolor's. He entered it, shut the door behind him, and let out the kind of sigh anyone lets out at the end of a long and hectic day. He gave the room a quick inspection, and noticed a dresser he could set his armor down on.

The cape was the first to go, as it usually was, since he could fold it and stretch his wings out at the same time. The shoulder pauldrons went next, and were placed a bit less gracefully beside the cape. He unstrapped his boots and kicked them off, and they ended up toppled over sideways on the floor. Just to be safe, he took his sword out of its sheath, setting it down on the otherwise empty nightstand immediately adjacent to the bed. His mask was placed right beside it. He couldn't explain exactly why if he'd had to, but he strongly disliked taking his gloves off, even to sleep, so he left them on.

The knight lay on his back with his wings sprawled out and just barely hanging over the edges of the double-sized bed, letting himself relax and sink into the mattress. He idly considered checking the shelves across the room for any reading material he'd be interested in, but decided he was too comfortable to get back up. He instinctively wrapped his wings around himself, and pulled the covers up, settling under them. Finally, he let his eyes slip closed, looking forward to a good night's sleep.

… Even if falling asleep may be difficult, given Dedede's snoring.


	3. Chapter 3 (LEMON)

"Whew... finally..." Magolor sat down on his bed, sighing in relief. "Such a stressful day... Nearly had my hide burned off by Landia, the Lor is in pieces, and much of my time was spent trying to gain Meta Knight's trust..." He undid his collar, slowly stripping down as he recalled the day's events.

"I'm glad that I got to learn more about the war, and his history, but jeez... That guy sure is intimidating!" His ears twitched as his hood fell off of them.

"And Kirby... for a little kid like him to be as powerful as Meta Knight says... that _definitely_ doesn't put me at ease..." His cape gently slipped to the floor.

"Ugh... I expected trouble—it would've been stupid of me not to—but I never would have thought today would have gone this stressfully!" He tossed his collar aside, causing the rest of his clothes to drop to the floor. He let out another exasperated sigh. He was so stressed, and not ready to sleep just yet... but tonight he shared the Lor with four others. Could he get away with...?

He went to the door and cracked it open, peering out to see if anyone had left their room. The hallway was empty, and other than some snoring from the far end of it, all was silent. He carefully shut the door and lay back onto his bed. He closed his eyes as he reached down to idly rub at his slit. His other hand moved to grip the overs at his side as he felt the pleasurable sensations begin, and he eagerly looked forward to more of the same. Gradually, his arousal grew, causing his shaft to start peeking out of his slit. His hand moved to rub it accordingly, causing his body to shiver. As his erection reached its full mast, he gave it a slight squeeze before slowly, gently stroking it. He moaned at this nice feeling, almost a bit too loudly, but he didn't want to waste time thinking about that. No, at this moment, the only thing on his mind was stroking himself to climax.

Meta Knight was well on his way to falling asleep when he heard some muffled muttering coming from the room next to his. He couldn't make out the words, but it sounded irritated. If Magolor was speaking under the impression no one was awake to listen, it was very possible he'd let something slip...

Slowly, so as not to make any noise, he unwrapped his wings from himself and slipped off the bed, decidedly ignoring the touch of cool air on his bare skin. He stood close to the wall separating his room from Magolor's, and listened.

After a long silence, he'd begun to fear he'd missed whatever it was the Halcandran had to say, but then he heard a noise that almost sounded like someone in pain, but not quite. He glanced to his left and noticed his sword and mask were still within reach, should he have need of them. His curiosity got the better of him, and he kept listening.

"Ohhh, I really needed this..." Magolor's voice broke some as he continued stroking himself from base to tip. He gave himself a couple more squeezes, each causing another moan. "Sh-shoot... This feels so good..." he groaned, moving a shaky hand to his asshole. He prodded it some, just barely dipping one finger inside, trying to add to the pleasurable sensations.

Oh. _That's_ what was going on.

Meta Knight quickly took a step back from the wall, feeling his face heat up a little. The possibility of his host doing something _that_ private hadn't occurred to him. It would be detestably wrong of him to keep listening now that he was aware of what was happening, but he wasn't sure he'd be able to ignore it. It had been quite some time since he'd done anything of this sort himself, and now that he had the idea, it did sound really good... And there wasn't much of a chance he'd be caught...

He berated himself for even considering the idea and quickly got back in bed before he could hear anything else. He lay facing away from the wall separating his room from his host's, and put the extra pillow he hadn't been using over his head in an attempt to block out any other sounds. He shut his eyes closed tight, taking deep breaths and focusing his thoughts away from what he'd heard...

It stopped working when he heard another loud, needy moan from the other room.

He grit his teeth, biting back a curse. This was the _least_ opportune time he could have been reminded of sex after going so long with a dormant libido. Even though he _really_ didn't want to, it was near-impossible not to picture Magolor lying on his bed, desperate for someone's touch. From the sound of it, that wasn't too far off from what was going on right at that moment.

The swordsman shuddered at the thought, hating that his mind going to places he didn't want it to. His body was threatening to follow suit—he had to struggle to keep his wings from unfolding in excitement, and they wound up trembling anyway. He realized he wasn't going to be able to ignore this now. Whether he tried to listen in on Magolor or not, it was inevitable his urges would get the better of him.

Knowing he would hate himself for it later, he hesitantly got out of bed again. He crept up close to the wall, reaching down with one hand to rub around his neglected slit.

Magolor gave a desperate groan as he continued to prod his insides, trying and failing to satisfy his need. Sure, it felt good to finger himself, but it just wasn't enough. He needed something bigger, more filling.

"Mmn... I need something to put in me... _anything!_ " he whined pitifully. He didn't expect the need to do this while he was away, and thus didn't pack anything to sate such lusts before leaving his home planet.

The swordsman on the other side of the wall bit his lip, well aware he would have to hold back any noises he had the urge to make before they could get out if he was going to do this. Magolor sounded so _desperate_ , and it didn't take long for the knight to start poking out of his slit upon hearing his pleading. He ran his thumb over his tip in circles, shuddering and trying his best to keep his wings from unfolding, but it was easier said than done. He'd forgotten how _good_ this felt.

"Wh-what I wouldn't give to have someone take me right now... I need it so bad...!" the Halcandran continued pleading, fingering himself deeper. "Oh, someone... please just push me down and... and pound me hard!" he begged to nobody in particular, certain that he wouldn't get any sort of response. He couldn't ask anyone here for help with this. Kirby was far too young, Dedede seemed like he'd be too big, and his servant was a bit on the small side. Meta Knight seemed just right as far as size went. Even aside from that, Magolor had to admit to himself, the knight had some qualities he found alluring, power and intelligence not being the least of them... But there was no way someone like him would be interested in having sex with someone he'd just met, right? Besides, he was probably asleep by now anyway.

The winged warrior had to bite down on his free hand to keep from moaning, and ended up leaning most of his weight against the wall as a result, completely erect now. Hearing the smaller male sounding so wanton and needy was getting to him. His eyes shut tight and he started pushing into his hand, thinking about doing the same to his Halcandran host. His wings began twitching with every wave of pleasure he got, unfolding more, and he panted with the effort of his thrusting, his pulse speeding up. It was getting increasingly difficult not to just barge into the other room and give Magolor what he wanted, but he had too much sense to let himself do it. He couldn't be sure the alien completely meant everything he was saying; plenty of people said extreme things while being pleasured. Besides, they had only just met a few hours ago; it would be ridiculous to do anything like that so soon. There was a good chance he'd be rejected if he tried to join him anyway, or worse. Still, he was kind of cute, and he sounded _so desperate..._

As unlikely as it was, Magolor still couldn't stop thinking of how it would feel if Meta Knight took him right then and there. To have that mysterious, masked knight come into his room, and mercilessly pound away at his asshole, his voice low and filled with lust as he spoke in that exotic accent... The thought of it caused him to shudder. "Oohhh... M-Meta...!" he moaned, shutting his eyes tight and speeding up his strokes as the perverted thoughts filled his mind.

"Nn- _nngh...!_ " the aforementioned knight let a moan slip out through his clenched teeth when he heard his name spoken with so much desire, and his wings snapped wide open, knocking his mask off the nightstand. It hit the bedpost with a loud _clang_ , and although he realized his mistake, he couldn't bring himself to stop. It felt too good after going at least a decade or two without, and it felt even better with pre-ejaculate leaking into his glove, making it a bit more slick. At the very least, he managed to slow his thrusts a little, tightening the grip he had on his length, panting open-mouthed.

Magolor froze and felt his heart skip a beat as he heard noise from the room next to his.

Meta Knight's room.

Should he check on him? Did Meta fall off the bed? Or... was he awake the whole time?

Magolor climbed off the bed and quietly put his ear to the wall in order to listen. "Um... M-Meta Knight? Is... is everything alright?" he asked, his voice still shaky.

"Ff-fine!" the swordsman called back, unable to keep his voice even. "Aagh, mierda...!" he cursed under his breath, fighting to get his wings back under control as they started threatening to flap in time with his thrusts. He braced himself against the wall with one hand and stopped moving completely, trying to catch his breath.

Magolor blushed as he heard the knight speak. He certainly didn't _sound_ fine... Actually, to be honest, he sounded _very_ fine... He shook his head before responding, ignoring his dirty thoughts for the moment.

"U-um... Are you sure? Because it sounds like you're... um... y-you know..." his words died in his throat before he could finish. After a brief pause, and an audible gulp, he decided to chance it. "Uh... Sh-should I come in and check? Just to make sure everything's alright?"

"Th-that's, err..." Meta Knight grasped for words, having trouble thinking straight with his mind in a haze. He ran his thumb back and forth over his tip again, unable to help himself. "That m-may not be the be-est of ideas, ahorrra..." He got stuck rolling the 'r' for a bit longer than he should have and chided himself for mixing his languages up so often. "I'm—aah—indecent...!" he struggled to keep his voice from getting higher and his shuddering from being audible, but to little avail. Strangely, the idea that he might be caught only aroused him further. His legs started shaking, making it difficult to stand.

Magolor shivered, reaching down to give himself a few slow strokes. It was obvious Meta had been listening in on him the whole time, and in his aroused state he couldn't find it in himself to be mad. It only made him want it more.

"O-oh... I uh... Very well." He backed away from the wall, and took a deep breath...

… before carefully leaving his room, making sure not to wake the others, and opening Meta's door without warning. He couldn't help but give in to his urges now that Meta Knight was... in a similar situation as he, so to speak.

Of course, the knight had tried to grab his mask and put it back on when he'd heard the door opening, but he'd knocked it too far away to reach it in time, and was left standing wide-eyed and frozen in place with one hand gripping his erection and the other reaching toward his signature piece of armor.

That much was to be expected. What the Halcandran didn't expect to see was a face that so thoroughly betrayed the voice behind it. Meta looked... _adorable_ , especially with his face flushed, and looking as if he'd just been caught with his hand in a cookie jar. As Magolor looked over the rest of the knight's body, taking in his... _assets_ , he gave a small smile. Despite the cute face, he definitely wouldn't mind being taken by Meta. He wouldn't mind it the other way around, either, later on down the road.

"Do you, uh... need help with that?" he finally asked, blushing furiously and unable to take his eyes away.

"I-I..." the winged swordsman stammered helplessly, feeling completely mortified and far too exposed. No one else alive today knew what his face looked like except Kirby, and it had been far longer since he'd been seen completely nude. As difficult as it was with his blood rushing through his veins, he managed to cover himself with one trembling wing as he retrieved his mask. "I w-would, si, but..." His hands were shaking too much to put it back on properly, and it only made him feel that much more foolish.

Magolor flinched a bit at Meta's reaction. He hadn't realized how much he wanted to keep his face hidden, although he could see why. Nevertheless, he slowly came closer, bringing a shaking hand to pat the winged knight gently on the back.

"Uh... I-I can help... i-if you'd like me to, that is!" he insisted. Despite his nerves, he made no attempt to hide his own erection, which subsequently pointed straight at the embarrassed puff.

"Uno m-momento..." the latter mumbled, still fumbling with the mask. After another short moment it slipped out of his hands and fell to the floor, at which point he gave up on saving any last remaining shred of dignity he had left. It was too late, anyway, now that he'd been seen, but at least Magolor hadn't made any comments about his face.

"Are you c-certain? We only met today..." he protested half-heartedly, still not meeting the other male's eyes, and making a valiant—if somewhat unsuccessful—effort not to stare at him elsewhere. His morals were against them doing such things so soon after meeting, but his body craved sex so badly, he was tempted to do it anyway...

"Yes! I-I mean, if you're alright with that," the smaller male caught himself, though he eagerly grabbed one of Meta's hands in his joy. "U-um... do you want your mask back on, or...?" he trailed off, glancing down at the armor piece for a brief moment. Granted, he doubted it would matter too much if Meta were to take him from behind, but still, part of him didn't want to keep that adorable face hidden.

"Never mind it." The armsman shook his head a little, unfurling his wing and trying very hard not to blush. He had little success once he saw a very visible bead of pre-ejaculate on his tip.

Magolor took note of the precum bead as well, and almost without thinking, he lowered his hand to gently rub Meta's tip just a little. With the pre now on his fingers, he began to lick them clean, getting a good taste of the knight.

"D-Dios mio..." Meta Knight whispered, a shiver passing through him as he watched. He felt a particularly strong throb, and gave his length a brief squeeze to sate it. "What shall we do first?"

"Well... Y-you probably heard how much I uh... How much I... wanted to be filled..." the other male stammered, averting his gaze for a moment, a little embarrassed upon realizing how much of what he'd said was overheard. "But uh... I didn't bring any lubricant. So unless you have an idea, entry might be a bit... rough." he put delicately, rubbing the back of his head.

"Hmm..." That was definitely going to be an issue. The winged swordsman glanced downward and realized he'd been leaking more than he had thought, though, and he'd inadvertently coated himself in it from base to tip. He still wasn't too far along, either. "I'd suggest more foreplay. It's... been a while, para mi, so there's a lot backed up." He felt unclean talking this way, but it didn't bother him enough to stop.

Foreplay sounded really good to Magolor at the moment. The only issue was his minimal experience with an actual partner.

"Uh... About that foreplay, uh... anything in particular you'd like me to do? Um... I could l-lick it some? If you'd like?" he stuttered, finding himself gazing at the knight's length some more.

"Ay, maltida sea..." As nice as that offer sounded, Meta Knight had to decline it. The thought of Magolor sucking him off with his cute little mouth made him shiver a bit, and the more aroused he got, the less attention he paid to which language he spoke. "I would say yes, pero saliva dries too quickly." He backed up a pace, then hoisted himself onto the edge of the bed with a couple downward wing flaps. "Para nuestros purposes, it would be best to keep to mild teasing for me, or simply nothing, por un poco mas." He slid one hand across the empty space beside him invitingly. "We could focus more on you, si tu prefieres."

"Um..." the other male looked puzzled. Meta seemed to be switching between his two languages more often now. He only understood a few things that the knight was saying, though of what he did catch, the part of "focusing more on him" made his face beet red.

"F-focus on me? Uh... what do you mean by that?" he asked, sitting close beside him.

"Here..." the swordsman murmured, taking one of Magolor's hands in his own. Deliberately holding eye contact, he leaned in and softly kissed the back of it. Even if what they were about to do wasn't completely within his morals, given how recently they'd met, he wasn't going to abandon all semblance of chivalry.

"Where would you like me to touch you?"

Magolor stuttered briefly as the knight kissed the back of his hand. He hadn't expected the knight to be so... _suave_. Aside from feeling a little flustered, though, he didn't mind it.

"U-um... Here...?" he asked, pointing toward his aching erection.

"Hmmm..." the larger of the two hummed in a husky tone, leaning in closer. He used the same hand he'd been handling his own appendage with to grip the Halcandran's base, and the other to hold him close. Wrapping one wing around him, he began to stroke it slowly but firmly from base to tip and back. "Like so?" he murmured, his breath teasing his partner's feline ear.

Magolor covered his mouth to muffle a moan, his ear twitching as Meta Knight's breath crossed it. He leaned back into the swordsman's body, placing a hand against him to keep himself steady.

"Y-yes..." he whispered back. A few small beads of precum dripped from his tip, slowly spreading across the rest of his shaft thanks to his partner's stroking.

Assured that his host was satisfied with his ministrations, Meta Knight used his wing to completely close the gap between them. He kissed the Halcandran slowly and tenderly, and ran a hand up and down his back. His eyes slipped closed, and a contented sigh escaped him as he paid attention in particular to Magolor's underside. This was _far_ better than handling things on his own. He hadn't been intimate like this with anyone in so long...

The kiss made Magolor jump just a bit. Now that, he _definitely_ didn't expect! Combined with the gentle back rubs, this caused Magolor to whimper and moan, and more precum to leak out. He was so unused to being treated tenderly, and he wasn't sure how to react. What he'd wanted was less... soft. Having his partner treat him as a gentleman would almost made him feel a little guilty, as if he didn't deserve it. _'Almost'_ being the key word there.

He pulled away slightly, and covered his mouth in embarrassment after the kiss was broken. "I-I... I didn't... this is... I wasn't expecting you to be so... well... I'm used to things being rougher," he stammered, at a bit of a loss.

"Lo siento," the knight apologized, removing his wing and folding it back behind him. It _had_ been quite a while since he'd done this. Maybe the way he was used to it had grown outdated? Or perhaps it was just a matter of differing cultures? Either way, the idea for now was to put Magolor's desires before his own, so as much as he wanted some romance and intimacy, he'd have to try and adapt a little. His grip on the smaller male's length tightened minutely, and he sped up his strokes.

"Is this better?"

At the sudden change, Magolor leaned back into the puff, hugging him tightly. He bucked forward involuntarily, and his moans became louder and more frequent.

"Mmmh! Y-yeees!" he cried out. Not that there was anything wrong with what the knight was doing before. As a matter of fact, it was a rather nice change of pace. However, as nice as it felt, what he wanted from the start was something more aggressive. Perhaps they could try the gentler route another time.

Hesitantly, the armsmaster returned the embrace with his free arm, a little fearful of making a wrong step now. He had to stay his wings from wrapping around the other male, at least, but it was so instinctive they trembled a bit with the effort, and he wound up folding and unfolding them a bit awkwardly to keep them occupied. He started throbbing for the same kind of attention he was giving to his partner, but deliberately ignored it, trying to think of what else he could do.

"Would, err..." he faltered a little, feeling out of his element. "Would you like me to talk dirty to you?" He hadn't tried that before, but it couldn't be too terribly difficult.

"A-ahh... Um... Y-you don't have to if you f-feel uncomfortable doing it," Magolor assured, finding it hard to speak properly while Meta was jerking him off. He glanced over to his partner's throbbing member, and slowly moved one of his hands to it.

"Maybe... maybe I can return the favor?" he suggested, beginning to firmly grip the knight's manhood. Ah, the glorious feats one could do with floating hands.

The latter male hastily removed his left hand from Magolor's back to roll it into a fist and bite it, struggling not to moan. He stopped moving his other hand for just a moment, having trouble focusing past the pleasure.

"S-si, yes... Pero, keep it slow, please," he requested, fighting the urge to start pushing upward. He ran his thumb over his partner's tip before stroking the shaft quickly again. "I'll last longer, a-and more will come out that way," he explained, his voice quivering just a little. "It's been... _ages_..."

"R-right..." the Halcandran nodded, keeping his ministrations slow and teasing. He gave occasional, gentle squeezes between strokes. Meta Knight was certainly doing a good job on his end, though. Almost _too_ good.

"U-um... D-do you think you could slow down a bit too? Y-you're uh... you're really good at this, and I don't want to... you know... finish too soon," he asked, a little embarrassed.

"Por supuesto," the knight obliged, unwrapping his hand from the appendage entirely. He rubbed the underside alone with only his palm, slowing the pace significantly. He got the urge to kiss him again, but decided against it, and licked his lips wistfully. "Would you prefer to be fingered, perhaps?" he tried a different offer, figuring maybe an activity he considered less intimate and more plainly sexual would tempt him less.

Magolor shuddered and bit back a plaintive sound before it could get out. As much as it pained him to have that wonderfully fast pace taken away, it was best to keep going as long as he could. At Meta's suggestion, his shaft twitched in anticipation, likely giving the knight his answer already.

"Y-yes, please!" he answered quickly. Oh, how he'd waited for something like this!

Meta Knight removed his hand from Magolor's length and noticed his glove had gotten thoroughly soaked in their intermixed fluids. It would more than suffice.

"Get comfortable, then," he prompted, trying not to blush at the thought of it and thoroughly failing. He would _definitely_ have to wash his gloves after this was all said and done.

"O-okay." Magolor nodded before positioning himself to where Meta could get to his asshole without any trouble, lying on his stomach. "Um... I-I know I really want this, but... c-could you start off slow, please?" he requested, covering his face in embarrassment.

"Si, si," the armsmaster soothed, placing a clean hand on his rear. He used his thumb to spread his partner's entrance a little, then slowly pressed the index finger on his other hand inside. Although his asshole was taut, there was minimal resistance, given how well-lubricated his finger was. He only stopped once it was as far in as he could get it, and was pleasantly surprised at how warm it felt inside.

"Should I move it yet?" he asked, not wishing to cause any pain.

Magolor had to bite his hand to keep from moaning out loud as the knight pushed his finger inside of his entrance. It felt so good, and yet was so painfully slow. Meta could probably feel his entire body quivering.

"Y-yeah... Please move it!" the Halcandran pleaded after removing his hand from his mouth. _Don't keep me waiting any longer! I've been wanting something like this all day!_

Steadily, the armsmaster began pumping his finger in and out, not bothering to start out very slow given how needy his partner sounded. He briefly gave himself a gentle squeeze, biting his lip as he leaked out more fluids. It wouldn't be too much longer until there was enough lubrication between them to move on to the next step.

"Oohhh yeeess..." Magolor sighed, relaxing himself a bit more as the winged puff thrust his finger inside him. It was a bit bigger than his own finger, and more satisfying to have someone else do the work for him. His eyes closed as he enjoyed the moment, and images of them taking this even further flooded his mind.

Meta Knight's breathing got a little heavier as he listened to the sounds Magolor was making. It was difficult to fight the urge to just plunge in right then and there, and he ended up moving his arm a bit faster to speed things along, his patience waning. Looking for a distraction in the meantime, he decided to go ahead and try talking like he'd mentioned earlier, although it shamed him a bit too much to do it in words Magolor would understand.

"Quiero follarte tan malo..." he murmured in a tone that spoke for itself even without the words' exact meaning being clear.

Magolor's body gave another shake at Meta's words. Despite having understood none of it, the way he said it only made him want to hear more.

"M-moorrree!" he groaned, noticeably drooling at this point. Oh, how he wanted Meta to go ahead and take him right then and there...

"Eres tan lindo..." the larger male continued, a hint of desperation in his voice. "Quiero correrme dentro de su culo...!" As true as the statement was, he felt perverted to be saying it aloud. He reached down to give himself a few slow strokes, spreading his precum over his length a little more. The anticipation was getting to him. He longed to get closer, to feel the other's body against his, to bring them both more pleasure...

Finally, he removed his finger, still breathing heavily. He couldn't wait any more.

"Turn onto your side," he ordered, letting go of his own length.

Magolor whined a bit as the puff removed his finger. He had momentarily lost himself in the pleasure, but he followed the knight's orders, and flipped to his side.

"D-does this mean... ? Are we going to...?" his words faltered, though it was obvious what he intended to say.

 _Are we going to finally take it further?_

Meta Knight could only look him in the eyes and give a single nod.

He positioned himself on his side, behind Magolor. He wrapped both arms around him snugly, longing to get as close as possible. One of his wings lay splayed across the bed while the other draped over them both. His tip brushed against his partner's entrance, but he didn't push in just yet.

Magolor clenched in excitement as he felt his partner's member brush against him. This was it. They really were going to go all the way! It was strange. After trying so hard to gain Meta's trust, this very night, they had ended up so close to each other, about to actually have sex. That was certainly one way to make an impression on day one...

"Are you certain you want this?" the larger of the two whispered into his partner's ear again, nuzzling against him a little. He wanted to offer one last chance to reconsider, although he was sure he knew the answer. The catlike alien gave yet another shiver at the whisper, and a shaky nod in response.

"Yes... Please!" he begged, turning his head to nuzzle back into him as best he could. There was no reason to stop this now, after having gone so far!

Satisfied with having been given full consent, Meta Knight pushed forward, cautiously slipping into the smaller male's rear.

"Mmmh...!" He was unable to suppress a moan upon feeling his partner's tight warmth envelop him, squeezing down on his most intimate of areas hungrily. Similarly, he hugged the other male just a little closer, planting a few soft kisses behind his ear. He pushed in until he was as far as he could go, shuddering lightly as he was reminded of this feeling he'd nearly forgotten about, not having experienced it in so long.

Briefly, the thought flashed through his mind that he was making a horrible mistake, both in doing such sexual acts with someone he barely knew, and by extension, how vulnerable doing these things made him. He was faintly aware that giving himself to someone physically also meant giving himself to them emotionally, whether he wanted to or not, and he very much doubted Magolor felt the same way. Even if his partner wanted nothing more than the physical aspect of this and not the emotional, the swordsman found it impossible to be satisfied with just one and not the other. They would likely never be anything more than what they were now, and he knew that. Even up to this very moment, he couldn't completely trust Magolor.

Soon, though, he set those thoughts aside, disregarding them on the basis that he couldn't stop now even if he wanted to. It felt far too good to be so _close_ to someone again, to have someone else's body against his, even if only for a short time.

"Ohhhh yessss~ Finally..." Magolor groaned as the larger male pushed himself in all the way to the hilt. He'd never dreamed that Meta Knight, of all people, would trust him enough to do this the very day they met! But here they were, going all the way!

"W-well... Whenever you're ready, go ahead and start thrusting, please!" he begged. His drooling appeared to have continued, as though he were hungry for more, adding to the noticeable wet spots already on the bedspread.

"I-if you insist..." Meta Knight was slightly caught off-guard by that request. He'd expected to have to wait a moment for Magolor to accommodate, but supposed it would make sense if he did this rather often, given his behavior thus far...

Regardless, the winged warrior pulled out until only his tip was left inside, then pushed all the way back in, taking in a sharp breath through his clenched teeth upon feeling a strong wave of pleasure wash over him. He moved slowly at first, making sure he was at a good angle, then picked up speed a little once he was more certain. Hot waves of euphoria overtook his body, and he wound up panting open-mouthed onto the back of the Halcandran's ear. He wasn't able to keep a few moans from leaving him between breaths.

"Aah... Hhh... _Haahh...!_ "

Though Magolor did have some marginal experience dominating partners, he was far more of a bottom, so to speak, and it felt so nice to start the real fun.

"Oohhh yeeaahhh... That feels so good...! Don't be afraid to go a little harder! I-I can take it if you can give it!" he assured, thoroughly enjoying being filled. He gave his own member a squeeze to add to the pleasure a little, moaning softly.

The armsman took notice of this and pushed his hand away, taking it upon himself to see to it his partner was taken care of. He curled his fingers around the Halcandran's length and started stroking it in time with his thrusts. The wing that lay over them both started to tremble as he complied with the previous request, pushing forward a little harder. He found himself having to hold his partner in place with the arm the lay underneath him. Subsequently, the pleasure he was feeling gave him the urge to bite down on something, but with both of his hands busy, he was left clenching his jaw instead, taking sharp breaths through his teeth.

Magolor's hand weakly flopped aside, allowing the puff to stroke his shaft for him. He certainly wasn't expecting _that!_ Usually he would have to take care of that on his own. He had to admit, Meta Knight was very caring of his needs. He smiled; moaning loudly as his words failed him. All he could really say was his partner's name, and he called it out loudly as the knight continued to please him.

"Mmh...! M-Meta Kniiigght...!

"Nnngghh...!" the winged swordsman's voice got higher in pitch as he inched closer to climax. He _loved_ hearing his name uttered that way. Needing something besides that and the pleasure to focus on, he tried to adjust his angle a little to push harder against Magolor's anterior wall. If his anatomy was similar enough to what the larger male was familiar with, there should be a particularly good spot to hit somewhere... In the meantime, he tightened his grip on the foreigner's length a little, ever-so-slightly speeding up his rhythm.

Magolor squeaked as his partner pushed even harder, and for a brief moment, he was silent. The silence was interrupted by a loud moan the other male managed to briefly rub against a spot inside that felt _amazing_. His back arched just slightly as Meta Knight turned it up a bit more, his whole body wracked with a jolt of pleasure.

"Oohhh Meta...! I-I'm... I'm close! Please don't hold back!" he begged, lingering just on the edge, tantalizingly close to release.

"Wh-where...? Mmmh!" the swordsman struggled for words, shivering with ecstacy. "Where sho-ould I... ff-finish...?" he managed between breaths, nearing the point of inevitibility. He was going to cum soon, and he was powerless to delay it much longer. He wanted so badly to do it inside, but if his partner were to object, he would understand. He pushed just a little harder, eager for release, and his wing threatened to start flapping. He had to fight to keep it relatively still, trying to keep his angle the same once he'd assumed he found the right spot, given how Magolor had reacted.

"F-finish... oohhh...! Finish inside! P-please!" the latter pleaded. It took only a few more prods at his sweet spot for him to reach his peak, giving a long moan as his seed was shot across the bedspread. He clenched hard on Meta Knight's length when he hit orgasm, and it sent the latter over the edge faster than he'd anticipated, just moments after his Halcandran partner.

Overcome with bliss, the knight took in a sharp gasp, and his wings fluttered erratically. He wasn't able to contain a few excited moans as several spurts of semen were forcefully shot out of him. The pleasure was overwhelming after having gone so long without it, and for a moment it blocked out everything else, engulfing him in white hot bliss.

After those few wonderful seconds, they were both left panting and red-faced, their bodies completely spent. Meta Knight's limbs went limp once his thrusts died out, and he ended up with one arm still lazily draped over his partner, whilst his wings were sprawled in an ungraceful mess across the bed behind him. Magolor would likely have been in a similar state if he had limbs, but even still, his hands lay limp on the covers before him.

The larger male wanted to say something once his breathing had slowed a little, but couldn't find any words that sounded right. Instead, he nuzzled into Magolor a little, weakly holding him close and reluctant to pull out just yet. The foreigner moved his hand to stroke the swordsman's cheek. His heart was still racing, even long after they both had finished.

"Th-thank you so much... I needed that," he murmured between breaths as he nuzzled back. It was only after he'd come down from his high that he noticed how stuffy the room had gotten, and the tell-tale smell hanging in the air certainly didn't help. The bed was an absolute mess, too; the sheets were strewn about and covered in cum and sweat. This definitely needed to be cleaned, but not right at the moment. For now, they both needed to rest.

"Uh... I'll have to clean this room up in the morning... Would you like to... uh... bunk with me tonight?" he offered meekly.

"Si, I would," the other sighed wearily, pulling himself away and decidedly NOT looking to see if his fluids dribbled out of his partner's rear end as a result. He pushed himself up to a sitting position, and found he had to brace himself with one arm. He'd worn himself out more than he realized. His wings almost felt like dead weight dragging him backward. That didn't matter much, though—there were more important things to worry about.

"Er..." he started, unsure of how to put this. "If it's all the same to you... I would prefer that the others not be informed of... this. We'll never hear the end of it otherwise..." He supposed Kirby would be too young to understand it anyway, and Bandana Dee likely wouldn't have much to say on the matter, but he could only imagine what he'd have to endure if the King found out. On top of that, he didn't much care for making personal things like this public knowledge. In his opinion, private matters were best kept that way: Private.

"R-right." Magolor nodded, shakily returning to hovering above the floor. If the others knew what happened, that would most certainly change how they would view him, and he couldn't have that. Especially not this early.

"So um... I'll probably put these sheets away for now if you would like to clean up first. When you're done, you can head back to my room afterward and I'll be there soon?" he offered.

In Meta Knight's most frank opinion, the Halcandran was in more need of cleaning up than he himself, but he nodded politely anyway.

"Of course. Where is the restroom again? And should I assume it's not too badly damaged to work properly?" he asked just as the thought occurred to him, slipping off the bed. Immediately, he retrieved his mask and sword. He did _not_ plan on leaving his armor out of reach.

"The restroom is right at the far end of the hall." Magolor pointed as he gathered up the sheets, and placed them aside in such a way that no one could see the stains on them. "It works perfectly fine. Trust me, it was one of the first things I uh... made sure to test, if you catch my drift," he said, giving an awkward cough.

"Gracias," the swordsman responded absentmidedly, more able to put his mask back on without his hands shaking this time. "Er, thank you," he corrected himself after it was strapped on, gathering the other pieces of his armor but not bothering to wear them. He left the guest room, thankful the hallway was still empty, and entered the room at the very end of said hallway. He then set his armor down again and switched on a light.

It was a small and simple restroom with a single sink, and a washcloth bearing a design not unlike Magolor's robes hanging beside it. He considered using it to wipe himself, but then decided it best not to on the basis that someone else may be using it in the morning. Instead, he went with the toilet paper, and flushed it as soon as he'd gotten the fluids off of him. The less evidence, the better. It'd be too obvious something had been going on if there were a bunch of wadded up papers in the trash bin and nothing else.

The best he could do for his gloves was to run them under some hot water, wring them out, soak up a bit of the water using the washcloth, and put them back on once they were only somewhat damp. Once all that was taken care of, he once again gathered his armor, shut the light off, and left, gently pushing the door behind him closed with one wing. He went to Magolor's room and found himself having to use his wing to knock as well. It didn't work incredibly well, but it was better than kicking the door.

"Coming!" Magolor called from inside before opening the door for the knight, and inviting him inside. He was still completely naked save for his gloves, and showed no intention of gathering his clothes, having left them neatly folded on his desk. As a matter of fact, Magolor seemed to be almost completely clean. 'Almost' being the key word, as there was one last noticeable splotch on his side.

"Well then, I suppose if that's everything, we can, er... sleep now," he said, scratching the back of his head.

"Ehh..." The swordsman wasn't sure how to point this out politely. "I think you missed a spot, justo ahí." He indicated the stray splotch with a wing tip, and briefly wondered how it ended up there in the first place.

"Hm?" Magolor put his hand to the spot Meta had pointed out. "Oops! You're right. I'll get it," he beamed, wiping it off with one finger and immediately placing it in his mouth, swallowing it. "There we go! I should be all clean now..." He gave himself one more look-over.

"R-right..." Meta Knight bit his lip and had to avert his eyes, lest he end up poking out of his slit again. He was able to stop his wings from unfolding, but they quivered visibly.

"Where, uhh... should I just set all this down by the bed, or...?" he trailed off, trying not to make eye contact. If he was to get enough rest to go with the others tomorrow, he couldn't afford to get all bothered again now.

"Oh, sure! Anywhere by your side is fine!" Magolor nodded once he was sure he had cleaned himself off completely, indicating the side of the bed he'd planned on letting the swordsman use. "Is there anything else you need before we go to sleep?" he asked just before yawning. Despite the question, the Halcandran began to drift toward the bed sleepily.

"No, that will be all," the warrior answered, fighting back a yawn after hearing Magolor's. Too tired to care about organization at the moment, he set his armor down in an ungraceful pile adjacent to the side of the bed he understood as his. He hoisted himself onto the mattress and was just getting settled under the covers when the thought occurred to him to keep the mask and sword under his pillow, just in case. Another yawn escaped the smaller male as he crawled under the covers.

"That's good..." Magolor fumbled his hand around, feeling for the off switch on the bedside lamp for a few seconds before finally turning it off. "Good night..." he mumbled, absentmindedly snuggling up against the knight.

Rather than responding verbally, Meta Knight put one arm around the Halcandran, holding him close again. He lay one wing over them both and pulled Magolor in just a little more for a moment to steal one last kiss before letting his eyes slip closed, more than ready for a good night's sleep.

It might even be a better night's sleep than he'd had in years.


	4. Chapter 4

Misty white eyes opened up to a dark room. It was early morning; earlier than most would normally be awake, but Meta Knight had long since been in the habit of waking before most. He lay on his side in an unfamiliar bed, his mind still hazy with sleep. The room, too, was unfamiliar to him. For a brief moment, he didn't know where he was.

Then he recalled the previous night's events.

As he'd anticipated, he was immediately overcome with uncertainty at his actions. He'd done such intimate things with someone he'd just met and still wasn't sure he even trusted not to kill him! Even if it made him felt better than he had in ages, it was still so... _wrong_. Irresponsible, even. For all he knew, he'd been used in place of a sex toy. How could he have allowed himself to give in to temptation with so little resistance? How could he have let his guard down so easily?

But then he felt the gentle rise and fall of his wing as it rested atop Magolor, who slept snuggled up soundly beside him, his breathing calm and even. He slowly, carefully moved his arm to caress the foreigner's cheek with the back of his hand. As conflicted as he felt, he let the tiniest of smiles creep across his lips.

He hadn't known how badly he missed this feeling until he'd gotten a taste of it again. It had been far too long since he'd felt any kind of companionship at all, let alone in a romantic or sexual sense. As foolish as he felt to admit it to himself, nothing would make him happier than to feel cared for by someone in that way, and to care for them in return. He didn't realize how empty of a life he'd lived for so long, having no one to share it with. It was something he'd denied himself ever since the war had ended in tragedy and everyone he held dear had been lost to him.

It had been an excruciatingly lonely existence at first, but one he felt was safer in the long run. From his experience, being close to anyone had only made him weak and vulnerable. His failure would have been far easier to cope with if he just hadn't cared about anyone he'd lost. For centuries, now, he'd been accustomed to the solitude, and the loneliness had become the norm. Now he wasn't sure he could resist the chance to have someone like that in his life again if he got it. He wanted so badly to believe he'd been given that chance...

Against his better judgment, he decided to yield to what his emotions wanted for now and give the Halcandran the benefit of the doubt, hoping beyond hope that they would end up being more than just partners in the bedroom. He concluded that if he was hurt in the end, he would have only himself to blame, and he could go back to the way things had been before they met. Finally, he set his grim thoughts aside, content to stay exactly where he was and listen to Magolor's rhythmic breathing, feeling the soft beating of his heart until he woke.

He wasn't sure how much time passed. The light of dawn began to filter in through closed curtains across the room as the sun climbed just above the horizon. It was only then that Magolor awoke with a yawn.

His vision was foggy at first, but he could faintly picture the outline of a certain knight holding him close. Smiling weakly, he nuzzled against the winged warrior and gave him a sly lick on the cheek with his flat tongue just barely poking out.

"'Morning, Meta~ That was some night, wasn't it?" He let a hint of sultry playfulness slip into his tone, more comfortable with the other male now that they'd "gained each others' trust," so to speak. He teasingly traced one hand along the edge of the wing that lay over them both.

"How are you this morning~?"

Before he could even think about answering that question, Meta Knight had to yank his wing away.

"N-not there!" he gasped as a shiver ran up his spine. Magolor looked a little taken aback at that reaction, so he tried to explain. "I'm s-sorry, that's... just a sensitive spot..." he admitted reluctantly, fearful he'd given away knowledge that would be taken advantage of later.

"To answer your question, I'm..." he started, but wasn't sure how to continue. He couldn't completely abandon all caution around Magolor, not even remotely. If he knew how much control he'd just gotten, there was still every chance he'd abuse it.

"... I'm not looking forward to the desert," he sighed resolutely after a moment. At least it wasn't a lie. He didn't tolerate heat well at all.

"Hm?" Magolor looked a bit disappointed in the larger male's response at first. It was only when he thought about it some that he realized what the knight was talking about.

"Oh, right! The ship piece that's in the desert!" he exclaimed in realization, giving his forehead a light smack.

"I've heard interesting things about the desert. The heat there sounds absolutely lovely! It sounds like a perfect place to go out and relax with someone~" he hinted. His mind was wandering off, thinking of how nice it would be to spend a whole day in a refreshing place like a desert. It likely sounded strange to Meta Knight, but it would be the equivalent of a spring breeze to the Halcandran.

As nice as the concept sounded, the warrior couldn't agree less with the location choice. Wearing steel armor in the blazing sun was _miserable_ , and dark colors absorbed heat as well, making the effect even worse.

"I prefer the sky..." he mused aloud. It was almost too easy to picture the two of them out on the deck of the Halberd as it idly cruised through a clear, cloudless sky... even if he felt utterly ridiculous picturing it. Still, it was a nice thought. He'd have to consider making that offer at some point.

"We should get up," the knight blurted quickly, throwing the covers off of himself to sit upright. He didn't want to let himself continue on that train of thought, and he _definitely_ didn't want to give the Halcandran a chance to coax him into doing anything physical again for now. With the others likely awake, or at least soon to be, it was far too risky.

"You're right, we should..." Magolor nodded in disappointed agreement, knowing it was for the better if they didn't do anything else yet. He stole one last little nuzzle against the winged knight before getting out of bed and retrieving his clothes. He had to look presentable, and _not_ like he'd just spent the night with the best swordsman in the land.

It was immensely difficult for Meta Knight not to return the nuzzle, but he was sure that if he let himself do it, he wouldn't be able to hold back from stealing another kiss, and from there the whole situation could spiral even further out of his control than it already was. He reached under the pillow he'd used to grab his mask and sword.

"I'll go out first," he offered, thinking strategically as he adjusted the mask's strap around his back. At least having his face hidden again made him feel slightly better. "If we were to walk out of the same room at the same time, that would be... questionable."

"My thoughts exactly. As... fun as last night was, it's better that none of the others ever find out," the smaller of the two agreed, clearing his throat. He hovered a bit awkwardly beside the door, watching the knight re-dress.

"Um... Thanks again for last night, by the way! It was fun..." he said sheepishly, hiding a small smile underneath his collar.

"That it was..." Meta Knight concurred, contemplating what would happen next as he equipped his shoulder pauldrons. He couldn't shake the feeling that it would only be a one-time thing, or worse, they would wind up with no relation to one another outside of frequent sex. He decided to chance it.

"Would, er..." the winged armsmaster faltered just a little, reaching down off the bedside for his boots. He wasn't sure how to word this without it being awkward, and he feared what the answer might be. He kept his eyes on the task at hand for a moment, then tried again once he had his footwear on.

"... Would you like to do it again, at some point...?" he ventured, glancing over at his host and trying to search his eyes for the answer to his _real_ question while keeping his own expression as neutral as possible.

 _Is there any possibility of us having something more than just sex?_

Magolor's eyes lit up at the question.

"Y-yes! I-I mean, of course! If... if you want to, that is! You're uh... you're v-very..." he trailed off. His gaze fell to the floor.

"You're very fun to be with..." he mumbled, blushing as he pulled his collar up to cover more of his face.

"W-would you like to do it again later tonight?" he offered, finally looking back up at his guest.

Well, at least that wasn't a _bad_ reaction, but it didn't give away much. Maybe the slight shyness was a good sign?

"I would, si," the soldier answered honestly and nonchalantly, reaching his arms straight up over his head to stretch them. Two quick wing flaps accompanied the stretch before he slid off the bed. He unfolded his cape and wrapped it around himself before making his way to the door.

"The thought of another night with you will be all that gets me through the day," he murmured in a low tone that made Magolor blush beet red. He pushed his mask up just enough to expose his mouth but still cover his eyes, took one of Magolor's hands in his own, and gave the back of it a firm, slightly drawn-out kiss, feeling it shake a little in his grasp. He then re-adjusted his armor piece and cracked the door open.

"See you in a few momentos." He waited before leaving to gauge what kind of reaction he'd get.

"Y-yeah... See you in a bit..." Magolor swallowed, waving the knight off as he left.

 _He... He really does want to do it again? He actually enjoyed doing those things with me? But... that was supposed to just be something that happened last night... Maybe once or twice more, but... why am I thinking about going further? I just met him, after all!_

He stared disconnectedly at the back of his hand. Despite having met such a short time ago, it seemed as if the knight actually _cared_ for him, at least to some extent. He'd been so tender and gentlemanly the previous night, so attentive to his needs. He was interested in doing more. He hadn't directly rejected the idea of spending time together outside of the bedroom, either. That had to mean something, surely...?

For the first time, Magolor felt conflicted about his intentions. Too conflicted for his taste. He shook his head, tossing that thought away. His primary concern was getting the Lor fixed and returning home. Then he could worry about this... "relationship" that may be forming.

Meta Knight entered the ship's lobby and found only Kirby and Bandana Dee waiting there.

"I'm assuming the King won't be joining us today, then?" he asked to whoever would answer. It would make sense if His Majesty didn't go with them this time—he was a penguin, after all, so the desert heat would be the worst for him out of the four.

"I-I'm afraid not, Sir," Bandana Dee spoke up and bowed to his superior in rank, sweating a bit.

"His majesty insisted on staying behind. Once he realized what our next destination was, he demanded to sleep in and stay here. However, he has ordered me to come with you and Kirby, t-to..." He was sweating more now. It had never happened before, but he was so used to the King's outbursts, and the knight was so intimidating, he was always afraid of angering him in case he suddenly lashed out. He didn't want to say what was next, but...

"… To k-keep an eye on you both..." he mumbled.

"Right..." What he could mean by that, the swordsman had no idea, but he thought it best not to question it. He was used to His Majesty's quirky nature by now, and knew better than to try and find reason where there was none.

"Good morning, everyone!" Magolor entered the room a moment later, greeting the lot of them cheerfully.

"I just caught what was said. So, I'll be in the company of His Majesty for today, then? W-wonderful..." Magolor had trouble keeping his fake smile on for once. He'd hardly spent a minute in King Dedede's presence before immediately deciding he was his _least_ favorite of the group.

Meta Knight flashed an apologetic look toward the alien. He knew better than most how horrible it could be to stay in the King's company for long, and could hardly fathom how much worse it would be without his army of waddle dees catering to his every whim. It was practically like babysitting and acting as a low-ranking servant all at once. It was even worse than having to monitor Kirby single-handed.

"We'll be as quick as possible," the swordsman announced, turning to the front entrance. "I'll lead," he ordered rather than offered. Bandana Dee was too indecisive for the job, not accustomed to leading rather than following orders. Kirby was too easily distracted by anything that moved to make good time, even if he genuinely tried to hurry. Even things that _didn't_ move could catch his attention and get him side-tracked, especially anything he thought was edible. Which happened to be most things.

"Wh-whatever you say, Sir!" the dee snapped to attention, agreeing without a hint of complaint.

Kirby had, once again, been staring dazedly at the ship's monitor, and probably hadn't heard a single bit of the conversation.

"You." Meta Knight addressed Bandana Dee curtly, and indicated Kirby with a sideways glance. "Keep an eye on him. He'll wander off if we let him." Without waiting for a response, he turned toward the ship's main entrance.

"Yes, Sir," the waddle dee answered anyway, giving Kirby a tap on the shoulder to get his attention. The puff turned to him with a blank and oblivious expression, then noticed his mentor leaving through the door and rushed to follow him, nearly bumping right into him in the process.

Without any protest from the others, the knight led them out through the ships' front entrance, and for once, dreaded the sight of a clear sky. He bit back a sigh. There wouldn't even be so much as the temporary shade of a passing cloud to shelter him from the desert heat.

 _This is not going to be one of my better days..._


	5. Chapter 5 (LEMON)

If his life depended on it, Meta Knight was not sure he could put into words exactly how much he hated the desert.

The heat was dry, granted, but it was still sweltering, and as he knew all to well, wearing steel armor made it twice as unbearable. The metal absorbed all the heat and it seeped through to his skin. Even a dry heat never stayed dry underneath any kind of clothing, either. He was acutely aware of how much he was sweating under his cape, and made an effort to stay several paces ahead of the others as a result.

He'd tried staying airborne, figuring maybe if he were at a higher altitude he could catch a breeze or at least glide from thermal to thermal to conserve his energy, but the air was devoid of any wind, and the sun burned his outstretched wings until he was left with no choice but to fold them close to his back and travel on foot. He berated himself for having been so careless, forgetting to apply sunscreen before leaving.

The ground was even worse. The sand found a way to get _everywhere_. It sucked all the moisture from his perspiring skin and clung there, making his entire body feel unclean and irritable. He had no idea how it was possible with his mask covering his entire face, but it even managed to get into his eyes every now and again.

By the time the group had returned with the Lor's right wing in tow, the armsman was more miserable and worn-out than he could ever remember being outside of war times. Still, he stubbornly stayed in the lead, eager to reach air conditioning and a shower as soon as possible. His armor almost felt like it was leaving burn marks on his skin.

"We're... back," he rasped between breaths once he came through the door, panting beyond his control due to his body's last-ditch effort to cool down.

The cool air inside the ship was nothing short of _heavenly_ after so much exertion while enduring the blazing desert heat, but the sight he was met with was... well, it demanded an explanation, to say the least.

King Dedede lay slumped over, fast asleep and snoring as loud as ever in an armchair he could barely even fit in, planted directly in front of the ship's main screen. One arm dangled limply off the side of the chair while the other lay atop a half-empty bag of chips, keeping it securely placed on his belly. The chair was surrounded with several pieces of trash he'd carelessly tossed aside: Crumpled-up wrappers and packaging for all manner of salty, sugary, or otherwise unhealthy snacks, empty soda cans and bottles, a paper plate with evidence of some kind of sauce left on it, a half-eaten double decker sandwich, a few pieces of silverware here and there, and gods knew what else. The screen seemed to be serving as a TV monitor, and was tuned in to a channel that played nothing but cartoons.

None of this was what needed explaining, though—in fact, Meta Knight had half-expected to see the ship's interior in such a state upon his return.

What he most definitely _did not_ expect, however, was to see Magolor bent over, attempting to gather up the pieces of the mess... _wearing a French maid outfit._

 _Oh, thank the comets!_ Magolor was only barely able to keep from speaking the thought aloud once he heard the knight enter. He dropped the few things he'd picked up off the floor into a nearby trash bin and immediately went to hover before the swordsman, restraining the urge to hug him in relief.

"Please, just... just put the wing aside for now. We can put it back on in the morning. You would not believe the day I've had!" He gave an exasperated sigh, ears drooping a little.

Bandana Dee quickly bowed before setting the wing down gently, significantly less dumbfounded by the sight they'd walked in on. This was, sadly, not the first time he'd seen a case of His Majesty demanding someone be dressed in a maid outfit as a mean joke. It had even happened to him once.

"Uhh, Sir...?" He cast a questioning look to his superior in rank, and apparently snapped him out of some sort of daze in doing so.

"Hm? Oh, err, dismissed," Meta Knight stammered, tearing his eyes away from Magolor. He hadn't meant to stare, but the dress left very little to the imagination...

With another quick bow, and a somewhat knowing glance that went from Meta Knight to Magolor and back, the dee retreated to the room he'd been given to stay in.

As it was, the armsmaster had already been near-ready to collapse with both exhaustion from the trip and relief at finally being _done_ for the day. The sight of Magolor in a maid outfit of all things had been entirely unexpected, and it was such a stark contrast to how much his regular robes had covered up, the knight had been caught completely off-guard. It certainly didn't help with his sweating, either.

He allowed himself a moment to gather his wits again. The king was asleep on a few feet away, on the other side of the room. Kirby was still in the room, too. Bandana Dee had left, but even still, he couldn't be losing his composure like this, especially in plain view of anyone. He took a deep breath and stood up straight. He could let his carnal urges get the better of him later, but right now, he had to remain as stoic as ever, lest anyone know something was amiss. Bandana Dee may already have known after that little slip-up.

"Kirby, just... go to your room and stay there, please," he shooed the younger puff off, not at all willing to deal with the wonders of child care for the rest of the evening. To his relief, the boy obeyed without complaint, promptly shutting himself up in the same room he'd spent the previous night in.

"Thank you," the Halcandran sighed, and started attempting to remove the dress.

"A day alone with Dedede is the worst I've ever had," he grumbled in very clear frustration. "Oh, but don't let him know I said that. As rude and gluttonous as he is, he's actually a lot stronger than he looks, and I'm glad he at least agreed to help out," he admitted, still struggling and failing to get the stars-damned piece of clothing off of him.

Meta Knight's face felt even hotter than the rest of his body. He'd never had a fascination with maid outfits before, but he could certainly understand it now. It didn't even occur to him to question _why_ the Halcandran was wearing it, he was just thankful that happened to be the case. He stepped closer, almost tempted to wait to shower until later, but he got a better idea.

"Would you like some assistance?" he asked, maybe a little more huskily than he'd intended. He was thankful the King was a heavy sleeper, or else he wouldn't dare to do this.

"Oh, yes, _please!_ " the foreigner answered quickly, backing up into the swordsman to allow him access.

"This is such a huge hassle... Why does Dedede even have this thing?! It's too breezy for my tastes, and hard to get off..." he muttered in a mixture of frustration and humiliation.

"So, how was your day?" he asked after a moment, turning his head a little to address the larger male.

"One of the worst I've had in a long while," the warrior admitted, also having trouble tugging the dress off. It clearly wasn't meant to fit Magolor. He couldn't fathom how he even managed to put it on in the first place. It was _not_ coming off; if he pulled any harder it would hurt. Maybe there was a zipper somewhere? If so, he couldn't find it. His patience had already been waned thin by the day's events, and this was not helping...

Oh, to Hell with the stupid thing. Dedede could buy hundreds more and dress his entire army in them if he wanted. Meta Knight drew his sword and pulled Magolor close to him with the flat side of it as if to threaten, pressing their bodies together as he heard the smaller male gasp in shock. He surprised even himself with this show of playfulness, but didn't linger on it.

"However, it may have just gotten considerably better," he murmured into the smaller male's ear, slowly, deliberately slicing through the fabric of the dress, causing it to make a strangely satisfying _rriiippp_ sound before it fell to the floor.

The Halcandran was left shaking in the swordsman's grasp. For a moment he thought maybe he'd been found out, and adrenaline had shot through his veins, making his heart race. He let himself relax once the fabric clinging to him was cut away with expert precision, leaving him unharmed.

"D-does this mean... Y-you want to...?" Magolor's breath was shaky, and his heart was still pounding from rush he experienced, but he had a feeling it wasn't going to slow anytime soon now.

The larger male released Magolor and sheathed his weapon, taking a step toward the hallway.

"I'm in dire need of a shower and hoped you might join me," he beckoned, looking over the Halcandran's bare body intently. Without waiting for an answer, he removed his cape and left it scrunched up in his hand, rather than folding it as he usually would. For once in his life, he was in no mood to take things slowly or cautiously. It had been a horrendous day up until this point, and doing the two things he'd looked forward to most all day—at the same time, no less—sounded _amazing_. He extended his free hand for the foreigner to take it.

"I... uh..." Magolor didn't know what to say. He'd thought the knight was suave last night, of course, but this blew him away; he was completely speechless... But there was no way he was going to just say _no_. After the kind of day he had, the Halcandran needed to "join him" more than ever. With a nod, he moved forward, and clung onto Meta Knight's hand.

"Am I to assume you have a shower besides the one in the guest bathroom?" the latter inquired, leading his host toward the hallway. He experimentally unfolded one wing to see if it would hurt and was relieved that the pain was minimal.

"Err... Y-yes! Right this way!" Magolor took the lead, bringing his partner halfway across the hall before stopping in front of another door and opening it. The room behind it seemed less like a bathroom, and more like a small spa room. There was what looked to be a hot tub to their left, with a towel rack nearby. Of course, all the way in the back was the shower, which was significantly more spacious than the guest bathroom's.

Magolor had a feeling that the knight probably wasn't as big a fan of heat as he was, especially not at the moment, and opted to save the hot tub for some other time. Instead, he locked the door behind them, and took Meta to the back area before turning the showerhead on.

Presuming they'd have to wait a minute for the water not to be frigid—as nice as that sounded, in all actuality it was not wise to go from one extreme temperature to another—the winged swordsman tossed his cape aside and started removing his armor. With skin as dark as his, any evidence of a tan was incredibly unlikely, but he was sure he'd gotten burned in at least one or two places, and the armor still hadn't cooled down, which didn't help. It was a huge relief to remove the steel pieces and have them replaced by cool air. For once, he didn't care where they ended up, and tossed even his mask aside with little caution. Piece after piece hit the tile floor with a _clang_ that he would have avoided making were it not for the noise of the running water to conceal it.

Magolor kept his eyes on the puffball as he began to strip down. He truly didn't take heat well after all. His mouth watered a little at the sight before him. Though he had seen Meta naked the very night before, after the day he had, it felt like forever ago. Not to mention, the way he carelessly tossed away all his clothing, clearly eager for what they were about to do, excited the smaller of the two a little.

"Finally..." the winged warrior sighed once he was bare, taking one of Magolor's hands in his own to bring him closer.

"Erm... F-feeling better with those off?" the foreigner asked, letting himself be pulled close with no resistance. He tried so hard not to sound as flustered and excited as he was, but it was no easy task. He pressed his body against that of his partner, anticipation stirring within him.

"Much better, si," the armsman breathed, his eyes glazing over with desire. He wrapped both arms around the smaller male in a tight embrace, decidedly ignoring the pain of skin-on-skin contact due to the burning. He _needed_ them to be close like this; he didn't care that it hurt. He still took in a sharp breath out of reflex to the pain, but cut it off by hastily pressing his lips against Magolors'.

"Hhmmhh..." he made a sound somewhere between a sigh and a moan, expressing his mixture of content, discomfort, and need, slowly running his hands up and down the Halcandran's back. He briefly brushed his tongue over his partner's lower lip, relishing their closeness and hoping he wouldn't be pushed away. He left his eyes just barely open, eager to see what kind of reaction he'd get.

Magolor tensed as the knight began to kiss him. His eyes were open wide in shock, and his face growing almost as hot as Meta's body. This amount of passion and lust was a little unexpected; clearly the knight was venting out some frustrations. Still, it felt so good knowing he chose to do it in this way, finding comfort and fulfillment in the intimate acts they were about to commit. He soon relaxed in the swordsman's embrace as two hands possessively caressed his back. He finally gave into it, and closed his eyes as he leaned forward, and held his partner closely, finding enjoyment in having his lips taken hungrily and aggressively.

The larger male pulled away just barely long enough to take a breath before diving in for another kiss. He took one hand off the Halcandran's back to open the shower door, maybe a little too quickly. He had to use one foot to stop it from swinging shut again and keep it propped open. His hand returned to his partner's body as soon as possible, though not in the same place.

Taking a guess as to where a sensitive spot may be, he tried rubbing in a circular motion just behind the base of one of Magolor's ears, more than happy to have a chance to explore his partner's body and touch every spot he wanted touched. As he did so, he tentatively reached one wingtip over to test if the water was a decent temperature yet, and found it was soothingly cool, but likely not warm enough to be comfortable for both of them yet.

Magolor shivered as the spot just behind his ear was massaged tenderly. What a lucky guess! That just so happened to be one of his more sensitive areas, and it showed. Both ears twitched slightly before lowering, and he gave a small, appreciative moan.

 _Oh, yes... That's the spot..._ He leaned closer into the larger male's arms, feeling every muscle in his body unwind and relax. He felt like he was going to melt in the knight's hands...

Taking the small noise as a sign he was doing something right, the armsman added a hand to his partner's other ear, rubbing in circles with his index finger just behind the base of it as well. He broke off their kiss, wanting to hear more.

Magolor gave a small whine as the kiss was broken; he certainly didn't want that little moment to end so soon. Thankfully, the knight now had hands behind both of his ears, and was using them so _wonderfully_. The Halcandran had to keep a tighter grip on Meta just so he wouldn't sink to the floor.

"Does it feel good there?" the warrior murmured, close enough to let his breath tease his partner's ear at the same time he kept massaging. He figured he knew the answer, but he wanted the satisfaction of hearing Magolor say it. He wanted to be told how well he was doing, how good he could make his partner feel.

"I-it..." Magolor's voice shook, and he spent a moment trying to retrieve cognitive thought from the haze of blissful contentment that had fallen over his mind.

"It feels wonderful~!" he breathed, just barely managing to get the words out. Even if it didn't bring him actual pleasure, being caressed in such a sensitive place heightened his desire for more touch. Heat was starting to stir in his gut, and a familiar tension was just starting to form further below. He restrained a whimper, but a tiny sound still escaped his throat.

"I thought as much," Meta Knight whispered back, allowing himself a small smirk of triumph. Now Magolor wasn't the only one who knew of a weak spot he could take advantage of. The Halcandran was practically putty in his hands now, and the swordsman found himself enjoying his newfound power. The small noises he was making were less needy than those he'd made the previous night and more... _submissive_. Listening to him sounding that way made the knight's arousal start to build. He'd be poking out of his slit soon.

Without stopping his massaging, he tested the water with the very tip of his wing again, and found it comfortably warm this time.

"Here," he beckoned, returning one hand to his partner's back and taking a step into the open shower doorway, coaxing the smaller male to follow.

Magolor followed beside the knight, clinging to him as if his life depended on it. Time seemed to be slowing down tremendously, and the Halcandran's lust quickly rose toward its peak. He wanted so desperately for Meta to take him, to do more than kiss and pet him. He wanted to go even further, but he waited. He waited as best he could for his partner to lead their little dance further.

His lust wasn't the only thing rising, either. An erection was slowly poking outward, twitching eagerly for attention. The warm air in the shower felt pleasant against it, but what he craved was direct contact. Briefly, he thought back to the previous night, and suppressed a shudder at remembering how skilled the swordsman had been with his hands.

The winged knight briefly let go of the Halcandran and positioned himself standing under the stream of water. Even though it was warm, it was soothing as it cascaded down his back. His wings got heavier once they were wet, and started to droop, but as long as it helped keep them from twitching uncontrollably, he wouldn't mind.

Then he noticed Magolor's length twitching in anticipation, practically begging for his touch. It gave him a twinge of need between his legs as well, but he ignored it for now.

"Maybe you'd like to get cleaned up first?" he prompted, side-stepping out from under the running water and reaching for the nearest bottle of body wash.

Without Meta Knight's hold on him, Magolor was finding it hard to keep from dropping to the floor. The sight of his partner's now-wet body in front of him certainly wasn't helping him stay afloat either.

The Halcandran gave a desperate whine as the knight appeared to have changed his mind about sex. His mouth opened quickly as he was about to beg for the sultry puffball to take him, but before he could say anything, the other male spoke again.

"I can do it for you, if you'll let me..." he offered, dropping his voice to a low, sultry tone. He reached his empty hand down to give Magolor's length a gentle squeeze, and locked eyes with him, making sure he paid attention to his every move, and every word he spoke.

"... And I won't miss any spots."

Magolor's eyes felt like they were stuck in place, unable to look away from his partner's own gaze. Shivering at the reference to last night's end, Magolor wrapped his hands around Meta's, trying to keep him from removing it.

"Yes... Please... P-please clean me up!" he begged. It was only right for this dirty little Halcandran to get cleaned.

"As you wish, mi gatito pequeño," the knight let his voice rumble in his throat, low and husky. As much as he knew his partner didn't want him to, he took his hand away from his stiffening organ. He circled around Magolor to stand close behind him, and emptied just enough body wash onto his open palm to coat every inch of his partner with it. The spicy-sweet scent of cinnamon and burnt sugar filled the shower as he set the bottle aside and rubbed his hands together, making sure both his palms had enough before beginning.

Then, both his hands went to the foreigner's sides, and he once again pulled Magolor backward into his body. He spread the gel as slowly as he could, wanting the close contact to last as long as possible. His hands caressed his partner's torso first, rubbing at his sides, his chest, his stomach, gradually creeping lower...

Magolor bit his lip while the winged knight slowly rubbed him down. He knew the knight was teasing him, and although he longed for more sexual contact, he didn't dare speak up. He _did_ beg to be washed, after all.

As the winged armsman inched his hands tantalizingly closer to his point of interest, desire for the same kind of touch built up in his own body. The very tip of his hardening manhood prodded against Magolor's backside as it reached half mast, distracting him just momentarily.

"Mmmmhh..." he gave a low, contented moan directly into Magolor's ear, purposefully trying to get him riled up as he just barely kept his hands away from the smaller male's length, veering off to rub the areas around his slit instead.

Magolor took in a sharp breath as he felt the other's tip poke his back. He desperately wanted it inside him. Once more, however, he kept his desires unspoken. The time would come. He knew that the knight wouldn't be able to keep this little show going for much longer, yet still, every second of teasing felt like an eternity of torture.

His body couldn't handle it for much longer. Magolor bucked forward a bit on instinct even though there was nothing to push into, while pre slowly dripped from the tip of his eager shaft. He gave a pitiful whine as his urges rose. He wanted Meta to take him so badly...

As his partner expected, the armsmaster wasn't able to keep up the teasing upon hearing such desperate sounds. He was too eager to please.

Finally, he let one hand drift over to the Halcandran's shaft and curled his fingers around it, giving it a firm squeeze. He felt it throb in response, and wasn't able to keep himself from rocking his hips back and forth a little, brushing his own organ against Magolor's backside. He held back a small moan and started stroking his partner from base to tip in time with his weak thrusts, keeping a tight grasp. His other hand moved to spread the body wash elsewhere, namely the backs of his ears, and the spots behind them he knew would drive the smaller male crazy. Meanwhile, grinding his underside into the smaller male gave him tiny bits of pleasure, teasing him the rest of the way out of his slit until he was completely stiff and throbbing.

Magolor's body bucked forward again as he was finally starting to be pleased. Quick, high little moans escaped the Halcandran with every hot wave of pleasure. The strokes were slick and wet, given the gel and suds coating his partner's hand and spreading over the alien's aching erection. He soon found it hard to form cognitive thoughts as the knight played with his entire body. His hands worked wonders on his most sensitive parts, sending bliss throughout him, while the underside of the other's own shaft rubbed at his back. He couldn't stand it. As good as it felt, it wasn't enough. He _needed_ to be filled.

"Oohhh, please...!" Magolor cried out, finally giving in to his urges. He leaned forward a little, trying to angle himself in a way that allowed more access to his back entrance.

"Please stick it in me! I n-need it!" he pleaded, hungrily pushing into the hand wrapped around his shaft.

"Patience, chiquito, patience..." the larger of the two breathed, backing up a pace. He moved both hands to the Halcandran's back, making sure to clean every spot his body had just been pressed against.

"You still need to rinse off," he continued, his voice staying somewhere between soothing and seductive as his hands lingered on Magolor's hind end in particular, caressing it firmly and thoroughly. He was tempted to dip one finger inside, but knew that was a horrible idea until his hands had been rinsed off as well.

"Besides, don't I get a turn?" he prompted in a faux hurt tone, coaxing the other male to stand under the stream of water once he'd cleaned as much of his body as possible.

The only response Magolor could produce was a plaintive whimper. This teasing was unbearable! The knight's suave words and magnificent touch were wonderful, but the Halcandran needed it to go further, and he needed it _now_.

Nevertheless, he hovered in place under the showerhead, allowing the water to rinse off all of the soap that had been lathered onto him. It felt nice and warm, a soothing stream that would have been relaxing under other circumstances. In this situation, however, the heat felt a little _too_ nice in certain areas, and it only served to make him more eager to be taken right then and there.

While the water washed away the suds from Magolor's now-spotless skin, the swordsman used one hand to continue squeezing and stroking the smaller male's member in an attempt to tide him over for the time being, earning a small, appreciative moan. He retrieved the bottle of body wash with his other hand and planted a brief but firm kiss on his partner's lips before handing the gel over. By now, his wings had started unfolding a little, but the weight of the water kept them from moving much, thankfully. He was anxious to go further, too, but the prospect of two hands running over his entire body inch by inch was too good to ignore.

The smaller of the two was at least glad his partner gave him some small form of relief, but he still wanted to skip the rest of this foreplay and go all the way. He knew the knight wouldn't let him finish until they were both good and clean, though, so he had to bear with it for now.

His hands were shaking so much he nearly dropped the bottle as it was handed to him, but he managed to pour some onto his hand—probably too much—before practically dropping it to the floor as he headed back to Meta.

He held the warrior close to his own body as he reached around to his back, lathering the slick gel across it. The puff leaned into the embrace and gave a contented sigh, lifting his arms a little to allow the alien better access to his sides. He let his eyes slip closed as his chest and abdomen were rubbed next. Then, within a split moment, he had two hands firmly placed on his rear, practically playing with it more than cleaning it. He wasn't at all used to having his hind end touched, but he was starting to understand the appeal as it was groped and kneaded. Still, it was done in such a possessive manner, his pride and his body were in disagreement over whether he liked it or not.

Once the disembodied hands working him over trailed toward the areas closest to his length, his wings spread a little further and gave a tiny, weak flap in anticipation. The Halcandran took notice of this, and got a mischievous idea. Wanting a tiny bit of revenge, he trailed a soapy finger across the very edge of one wing, a smirk creeping across his lips.

"Nnh...!" Meta Knight's breath hitched in his throat. He tensed from the shiver that ran up his spine and instinctively tried to unfold his wing completely, pressing it further into the Halcandran's hand to seek out more of the same contact. The tension in his groin tightened a little, making his manhood visibly twitch upward as a bead of pre-ejaculate formed at the tip. He hated how easily his body could be manipulated this way, but it just felt so _good_ he was helpless to stop it.

"Heeheehee..." Magolor let out a sound somewhere between a snicker and a giggle, feeling victorious at the knight's reaction. After all the teasing he'd endured, it was nice to get some revenge. He continued to caress the knight's wing with one hand, whilst the other trailed down to Meta Knights's length, teasingly grazing over its base. While the Halcandran was nowhere near as suave as his partner, he at least felt a surge of satisfaction from matching him in other ways.

"Aah..." the knight gave a small moan as his partner turned the tables on him. His back arched just a little as he rocked his hips back and forth, attempting to make use of the hand teasing his organ. The wing that wasn't being touched trembled as it wrapped around the feline alien, trying to keep him from pulling away. He almost started to regret teasing the other male in the first place.

Magolor, on the other hand, was immensely enjoying this. He loosely wrapped his hand around the swordsman's shaft, giving him just a little bit more to thrust into. Meanwhile, the Halcandran licked at Meta's lips before pulling his tongue back, and the hand that was on his wing had returned to scrubbing his lower body. _That_ should make him want more.

The armsman held back a plaintive sound as he lost stimulation on his wing, and instead tried to shift his focus elsewhere. He pushed just a little harder into his partner's hand, enjoying the pleasurable sensations it gave him, but wishing he'd squeeze tighter. At the same time, having his lips teased made him _desperately_ want to kiss the smaller male. Unable to help himself, he added his second wing to embrace Magolor and pulled him in to firmly press their lips together. He held onto the foreigner's sides with both hands as well, making sure he couldn't pull away again. He slowly ran his tongue across the Halcandran's upper lip, practically suckling it as other areas of his body were rubbed clean.

Magolor was taken by surprise as his partner brought him close enough to lock their lips. His eyes soon closed in content as they kissed, however, and his cleaning of Meta Knight's body had slowly turned into sensual strokes, mainly focused on his wings. It was very clear how much they both wanted this, so the Halcandran tried to finish off the cleaning as soon as he could. He couldn't stand waiting much longer, especially knowing the winged warrior wanted him just as badly.

Meta Knight stepped backward to stand under the water stream, pulling his partner with him. He unwrapped his wings from the smaller male to rinse them, but that was the only leeway he gave. He didn't let their mouths separate for more than a second between kisses, and only once all the soapy suds had been washed from his body did he pull away further.

"Against the wall," he ordered, his voice heavy with hunger. " _Now_."

Magolor gave no response; no flirting, no teasing. He quickly did just as the knight commanded, placing his hands against the wall, bracing himself against it, and presenting his rear to the other. Though his mouth was dead quiet, his eyes said plenty as he looked back at Meta, desperation showing within them.

The armsman took in the sight before him for only a moment to commit it to memory. The little alien looked so needy, so horribly desperate to have the knight fill him. He hovered completely bent over, his most private of areas easily in view. His entrance twitched just minutely in anticipation, and his dripping length hung down below him, as if weeping for release. Deep, carnal desire swirled within his half-lidded amber eyes, reflecting that of his lover.

The winged knight hastily got into position directly behind him, both hands firmly grasping the areas that could come closest to counting as Magolor's hips. The only warning he gave was to briefly prod his tip against the Halcandran's entrance before slowly pushing in as far as he could go.

"Hnngh...!" he stifled a moan before it could completely get out, biting his lip as his partner's tight warmth enveloped him. His wings spread and remained stretched out at his sides, trembling with anticipation and ready to start flapping whether he wanted them to or not, despite how heavy they felt.

"Oohhh..." the Halcandran sighed in relief as his partner finally pushed inside him. After all the relentless teasing he'd gone through, it was finally time to start the real fun. He clenched around Meta Knight's length, giving him a nice little squeeze before he could start thrusting.

"Mmmhh..." the swordsman's voice rumbled in his throat as pleasant sensations started washing over him. After a short moments' reprieve, he began to buck his hips back and forth, setting a steady pace that was neither very slow nor fast. Almost against his will, his wings started working as well, each downward flap helping push him forward. It took more effort while they were soaked with water, and droplets went flying everywhere, but he couldn't care less about restraining himself at this point. With each thrust, he shoved himself in to the hilt, and the force pushed his partner forward a bit as well. He watched as Magolor's pointed ears swayed back and forth with the movement of his thrusts, and was tempted to hold onto one of them, but he doubted he could reach that far, and he needed to keep the smaller male in place as best he could.

"Hhmmmnn..." a low groan escaped the alien as Meta Knight began to thrust into him. He was so thankful his partner didn't take it too slow this time. He was breathing heavily as he was pushed forward, loving being filled, yet still wanting more.

"C-come on, Meta... Don't be afraid to go f-faster! You know I can take it, after all!" he urged, bringing a hand back to try and stretch his entrance some for the knight.

He wasn't about to deny that request. The armsmaster tightened his grip on the smaller male's sides a little and pumped his wings harder for more speed. He continued pushing in as deep as he could go, and was sure he was poking at the very end of the tunnel with every thrust. He relished how tightly his partner squeezed down on him, how warm and slick it felt inside... He wanted Magolor to feel every bit as good as he was feeling. He reached underneath the Halcandran's body to grip his length, stroking it in time with his thrusts.

Now _that_ was more like it. Magolor began to moan aloud as Meta pushed in deeper. He returned his hand to the wall, pushing hard against it to press back into his lover's thrusts. He inhaled sharply as the knight had begun to stroke him off, his eyes rolling back as pleasure coursed throughout his body. He made tiny, high little moans each time his deepest regions were pressed into.

"Ahh... Hah... Mmh... Aah...!"

The winged puff couldn't get enough of his partner's cute little sounds. He wanted to do whatever he could to hear more. It wasn't feasible to angle himself correctly in this position, so instead he briefly took his hand off the feline's length to pull him just slightly more upright, eliciting a small, surprised yelp from him. As soon as he was sure the angle was right, he went back to stroking Magolor's member in his fist and started pushing forward even harder, trying to find the exact right spot to rub against. Magolor moaned out as the armsman's efforts were redoubled. The Halcandran felt tighter inside this way since he was less easily accessible, and Meta Knight couldn't help but moan at the renewed waves of bliss as well.

"Oohhh... Que se siente tan bien...!"

Those words sent shivers down the alien's spine, and forced his eyes shut whilst he panted open-mouthed. In his mind's eye, he could see just how hard Meta was thrusting into him. Their current session was playing out perfectly in his mind from an outside view, and such a sight served to make the Halcandran cry out with abandon as he neared closer and closer to climax.

"Haaahh! _Aaaahh!_ "

The swordsman continued ramming as hard as he could manage, driven by the Halcandran's jubilant sounds. His heart was pounding, his head was spinning, and his lungs heaved, but he didn't dare let up. It felt far too amazing to stop, even for a moment. His wing flaps started to lose their coordination as he neared orgasm, and his breath caught in his throat once or twice when a particularly powerful wave of pleasure overtook him, putting him right on the very edge.

"M-Májolor, estoy—augh... I'm s-so close...!" he struggled to get the warning out correctly, even going so far as to pronounce his partner's name wrong. His mistake mortified him, but he couldn't stop and dwell on it now.

"S-same... ooohh...! Same here!" Magolor cried out, attempting to hold his climax back as best as he could. Unfortunately, his best wasn't quite enough. He couldn't hold it anymore once his sweet spot was hit, causing overwhelming pleasure to grip him for a few long, wonderful moments. He let out loud, wanton moans as he came, splattering his load on the wall he'd been braced against.

"Nnnnnff!" A shuddering moan rattled in the back of the puff's throat scarcely a moment or two after Magolor had finished, signifying his release. The Halcandran's insides practically became a vicegrip when he'd hit climax, clenching and convulsing relentlessly around the knight's manhood. He held onto his lover desperately as white-hot euphoria blazed through his body the same way it had claimed that of the other male. His wings stretched as wide as they could spread, trembling as they remained suspended in place. He gritted his teeth as spurt after spurt of his fluids left him, coating Magolor's inner walls.

Finally, he came down from his high and was left breathless, having expended all but the very last reserves of energy he had left. His grip on the smaller male weakened, and his wings fell to the floor at his sides, suddenly far too heavy for him to hold them up any longer. As his blood began to return where it needed to be rather than where it had all just gone, he pulled away from Magolor, and wasn't able to avert his eyes this time. A rather generous amount of his cum leaked out of the Halcandran's hind end, and was subsequently washed away along with that of the alien.

Magolor's body went limp and slowly lowered to the floor. His deep breaths were very audible, even after his climax had finished. His eyes remained closed, and his mind was almost completely blank in the afterglow. He was nearly worn out from the experience. It was definitely a league above the previous night. It took the Halcandran a little bit, but he slowly moved a hand to grab onto one of Meta Knights' and lifted himself up, gradually nearing the knight before planting another kiss onto him. The larger male eagerly returned it, embracing the little feline as he did so.

"Hmmn..." Magolor gave a contented sound somewhere between a sigh and a hum that was muffled by the mouth covering his.

The knight let himself enjoy the kiss for what felt like at least half an hour. It took him a long moment to finally break the connection, look into his lover's eyes...

… and see that there was nothing there for him.


	6. Chapter 6

Meta Knight opened his mouth for a moment, feeling as if he should say something, then closed it again, his words having failed him. What _could_ he say, after doing something that should have been intimate and satisfying, but felt so empty and meaningless? Neither of them loved the other. He still wasn't even sure Magolor cared for him at all.

He tried not to let on a visible change in expression as he realized this, but he couldn't hold the eye contact for very long. No matter how good it felt physically, he couldn't get rid of the suspicion that that was all it was, and all it would ever be: Physical.

Magolor tilted his head, a bit disappointed.

 _'What's wrong...?'_ he wanted to ask, nuzzling up against the knight. It felt amazing. He had a really great time... but then those thoughts from earlier that morning popped back up.

 _'...Is he... Does he think...? I don't know what I should do...'_ Magolor looked to the floor, saddened, yet his ears soon perked as he got an ingenious idea.

 _'This should at least help me win a bit more of his trust, if my suspicions are correct...'_

"H-hey... Meta?" he ventured sheepishly. Once he had the armsman's attention back, he cleared his throat, and continued a little more boldly.

"I was wondering... Do you want to take the day off tomorrow and... relax or something? Just, you know, have a free day?"

"That does sound nice..." the swordsman answered lightly, brightening just a little. He could only take the offer to spend more time together outside of the bedroom as a good sign. It wasn't as if he'd been planning on going after the piece of the Lor that had fallen in or near the sea anyway; he hated swimming and the beach in general almost as much as the desert.

He reached over to turn the showerhead off, considering making the very offer he'd thought of making earlier that morning. Logically, taking the Halberd out for nothing more than a pleasant cruise was a horrible idea. It would be a shameful waste of fuel and other resources, and the ship wasn't made for comfort to begin with. At the same time, he was unsure of any other common ground they both shared outside of airships. In fact, he was hit with the realization that he actually knew little to nothing about Magolor at all. An all-day cruise was about the best idea he could come up with to fix that.

"I know you're not _exactly_ here by choice, but if you'd like, we could tour more of Dream Land...?" he ventured, feeling utterly ridiculous. He'd never asked anyone on a date or anything close to it before. Usually, _he_ was asked, and even that hadn't happened since long ago, when he had an active reputation as the pride and joy of the Galaxy Soldier Army.

"Oh? Really? That sounds nice! I'd be happy to see more of this place!" Magolor beamed, hugging the knight closely.

 _'Yes! It worked! I can't believe it!'_

Eventually, he pulled back, excitedly grabbing Meta's hands in his own.

"So, how shall we be touring the place? I... eheheh... I doubt on foot. For uh... two reasons. One a bit more obvious than the other," he joked, moving a hand below his floating body and waving it there before returning it to Meta Knight.

"I... mentioned yesterday that I have a ship of my own, didn't I?" the swordsman answered the question with his own, decidedly not trying to think too hard about how exactly the Halcandran's levitation and disembodied hands "worked." That was probably a topic best left for some other time. He somewhat reluctantly let go of his partners' hands to open the shower door.

"Oh! That's right, you did! But, uh... are you okay with letting us use it like that tomorrow? I don't want you to feel forced about using it, you know," Magolor grimaced just slightly, ears lowering some in concern. In order to get the most trust from Meta Knight, it would be in his best interest to make sure the warrior was fully comfortable with his decision. It showed that he cared, after all. Of course, he wasn't yet sure whether or not he actually _did_ care, but it was best to leave out that little detail.

"I'm perfectly fine with it," the warrior replied nonchalantly, stepping out of the shower. He nearly flinched at how cold the air was against his bare skin, and immediately headed for the towel rack. He tried lifting his wings off the floor, but they were just too heavy and he was too tired, so they ended up dragging behind him ungracefully.

"Well, if you're okay with it..." Magolor shrugged, watching Meta head toward the towels before following.

"It wouldn't be the first time I've flown it outside of battle," the knight admitted, grabbing the towel within closest reach and wrapping it around his torso. "I'm not sure why, but that ship is where I feel the most at home. Surely you can relate?"

"I suppose I can relate some. At the very least, it's far more homely and comfortable than any particular place on Halcandra," the smaller one tried to sympathize, taking a towel to wrap around himself as well, "but I'm not sure whether I would prefer it to a place where I could really settle down."

The knight considered those words for a moment before speaking again. He couldn't really explain why it was that, despite having dedicated every fiber of his being to justice, freedom, peace, and the like, he still always felt the most comfortable amid a situation that was quite the opposite of that. He'd had far more than his share of combat, enough that he should be sick to death of it. But somehow, he realized, the midst of a battle was where he felt the most at peace.

"Maybe I was never meant to 'settle down,'" he pondered, having to use one hand to lift a wing and the other to wipe it down with the towel he held. "It's not as if I was intended as anything other than... well." He didn't want to say it aloud, but it was clear what he meant. He was made to be nothing more than a monster, with no purpose outside of killing.

Magolor knew how that sentence would have ended. He placed a comforting hand on the armsmaster's shoulder and smiled softly.

"Even if you weren't 'meant' to settle down, that doesn't mean you can't in the future, right?" he tried to console him reasonably. "Don't worry about it too much. Experience has taught me that the more you worry about that kind of stuff, the more unsure you are as a whole. You'll end up doing something you don't really want to do, and that's no fun."

"You're absolutely right," the armsman concurred, placing a hand atop the one Magolor had rested on his shoulder. He had to admit, this was likely the most meaningful conversation he'd had since settling in Dream Land. He couldn't help admiring the Halcandran's wisdom, especially after having spent so much time in the company of those he considered less intelligent than himself, but it did remind him of something he probably should have considered sooner.

"Speaking of 'experience'—and I apologize if this is un poco intrusive—I never did ask about your age, which was... unwise, considering..." he trailed off, but the implications there were clear. He doubted very much that Magolor was too young to be doing what they had done, just based on his intellect alone, but it was probably still best to ask.

"My age? Oh, it's twenty-five. It's certainly old enough back on my planet," he reassured, smiling for a bit. Then he realized that things might be a bit different here than his home world.

"O-or uh... is it too young for this planet's standards...?" he ventured, ears drooping in concern. This could definitely harm his... "relationship" with the knight, if such a thing were true, and that would be a serious setback for his plans...

Luckily, the swordsman gave a small sigh of relief.

"That's more than old enough here," he confirmed, drying his other wing. "I've even seen a time when 25 was considered middle-aged," he went on lightheartedly, and truthfully, at that. At the time he'd matured enough to even know about this subject, the general age of consent across much of this galaxy had been 13. It had since been raised to around 18 or 19, depending on the planet.

"Since that is the case, err..." he started, trying to find a delicate way to word this. He didn't often think about how old he really was—he was in no danger of deterioration—but this was quite a jarring reminder.

"Are you still quite certain of this? There's quite a gap between 25 and..." He took a moment to do some estimating. It was hard to pinpoint what his age would be if he had a normal lifespan, but he tried his best.

"...We'll just say 45 or so, assuming a century-long lifespan. Regardless, are you sure you wouldn't prefer someone younger...?" Not that Magolor was unaware of his age, but he could very well understand if the Halcandran changed his mind after considering it. Of course, there was yet another very real possibility...

"...Unless perhaps, you're thinking short-term...?" he prompted, looking him in the eye again.

"Meta, please," Magolor chuckled a bit before patting his partner's shoulder reassuringly. "If I had any issues with it, I doubt I would have done this with you last night, let alone two nights in a row. And, well..." he was unsure of how to respond to the last question, thinking on it for a moment. Truthfully, he wasn't fully sure whether he would like to stay on Halcandra once his goal was achieved, or if he would move his ambitions toward Popstar, or even further...

"If I may be honest, I'm still unsure... Though it is true I must to return to my planet, I... I don't know if I want to stay there," he admitted vaguely. In his opinion, the best way to lie was to tell the truth, but only in pieces, rather than all of it.

"Popstar is so much better than Halcandra, and far less dangerous. Plus, I got to meet you and the othe-... Well, you and Kirby!" he corrected himself, still unsure about the waddle dee, and _definitely_ sure about his opinion of Dedede.

"Hmhm..." the warrior gave a half-hearted chuckle at that answer. He could very well sympathize with being less than fond of the King. Still, the reality that his suspicions of being nothing more than a 'fling' may have been correct after all was not a pleasant one to come to terms with.

He set the towel he'd used aside and went to gather the pieces of armor he'd scattered across the room without another word. He supposed if there was nothing genuine between them in the first place, then it should make no difference whether he saw Magolor again, but all of a sudden, going back to the way things had been before sounded... unfavorable, somehow. He put his mask back on before anything else, preferring not to have every one of his stupid emotions on display when he didn't even want to feel them at all in the first place. He'd already made himself far more readable—and worse, vulnerable—than he would like as it was. His eyes narrowed a little as he adjusted the strap, internally struggling with the situation he'd gotten himself into.

 _'What in Nova's name is wrong with me? If he doesn't care, then why should I?'_

"Um..." Magolor could feel that Meta... wasn't very satisfied with his answer. Maybe he should've been more detailed... Taking a bit of a risk in guessing that the other male wanted there to be a bit more between them, he put his hands against the knight, and gave him a hug—or at least the closest thing he could manage to a hug without arms.

"If I may make one addition, it's that the biggest reason that I would prefer to be here on Popstar is you! And, eheh... not just because of the wonderful nights we had," he clarified with a slightly awkward laugh.

"So far, you're the only person I've ever been able to have a true intellectual conversation with. You're very interesting to talk to! If you weren't such a wonderful friend, I wouldn't have offered to spend an entire day just relaxing with you," he went on, surprised at how easily the words came to him. He didn't even have to think about it. It was almost like telling the truth. The _entire_ truth.

 _'Where is all of this coming from? I sound like a bad romance novel! Ugh... I just need his trust and help. Then when the time comes, and we finally reach my goal... Well, then I can figure out what to do with these feelings.'_

The knight had to try incredibly hard not to get his hopes up from hearing those words, and whether he succeeded was debatable. He placed a hand over one of his lovers', and it took an immense amount of restraint not to do anything else.

"I feel the exact same," he murmured, gripping the smaller hand in his own just barely tighter for a moment. It was so tempting to just give in, to tell him everything, to hold him close and never let go.

But he knew better.

He pulled away from the Halcandran again to finish retrieving the rest of his clothing. It didn't take him long to get his boots and shoulder pauldrons back on. The only article that gave him any trouble was the cape, and that was only because his wings refused to cooperate. Eventually, though, he was able to get them folded in place and wrap the cape around himself like normal. He was well aware he'd likely have to take everything back off in a few moments to go to bed, but he wasn't keen on risking being seen stark naked in the hallway alongside his host.

Magolor scratched the back of his head. He wasn't sure if he got through to the knight or not... Only time would tell, it seemed. Soon enough, he had begun to put on his clothes, pulling his collar back over his mouth as he went toward the door. He cracked it open just slightly to check if anyone was up and about. Dedede and presumably the waddle dee, were asleep, as there was very audible snoring coming from the King's room rather than the lobby...

"Brr... Uh... Wanna spend tonight together again?" he offered, shivering from the much cooler air in the hall.

"I'd be glad to," the knight obliged, coming to Magolor's side. "Your room again, I would guess?" The Halcandran's room was a little more spacious than the guest rooms, after all.

"Of course." The Halcandran smiled, offering the winged puff his hand as he made his way back to his room. Magolor had never slept in the same bed as someone else before last night, and he thought it felt nice... Nice enough to do it again, at least.

The swordsman followed close behind, glad at the answer he got. He also normally slept alone, but this little venture of theirs had reminded him how nice it was to sleep beside someone.

"I don't suppose you have any books printed in a language I could read...?" Physically, he'd exhausted himself, but their conversation had set his mind at unease. Reading for a while before trying to sleep usually helped with that. If all the printed literature on the ship was in Halcandran, though, that would make sense.

"Physical books, sadly, no. However, I believe there are some old stories in the ship's log that have been translated into the more common languages," the foreigner explained, thinking for a moment.

"...I could transfer the stories onto a smaller device for you to read in bed, but that might take some time." It'd be a pain in the ass to do right at the moment, but hey, if it won him more points with the knight, it'd be worth it.

"Never mind it." The armsman shook his head a little. "Maybe some other time." He'd probably manage to sleep eventually. Even if he didn't, it wasn't as if he couldn't function without it. He could skip sleeping for three nights in a row and still be as alert as ever if he so desired, so long as he wasn't active the entire time. There were very few things he would ever than his creator for, but that was one of them.

"Hm... Alright then... When I have some free time, I'll try and make one for you," the smaller of the two offered, opening the door to his room. He waited to close it until after his partner had entered, then immediately stripped his clothing back off to get comfortable.

"Only if it wouldn't trouble you too much," the knight insisted, following suit. He placed his mask and sword underneath the pillow he assumed he'd be using once again, and everything else he'd been wearing was placed atop the dresser.

"Oh, it would be no trouble at all," Magolor chirped, patting the knight's shoulder as he got into bed.

"I tend to read fantasy fiction in my spare time before sleeping sometimes," Meta Knight elaborated a little. "Usually sagas of opposing kingdoms at war, mages, mythology, that sort of thing..." he trailed off, realizing it sounded a little childish when he described it, even if it was usually somewhat advanced-level reading that caught his interest.

"Alright, I'll keep it in mind. I believe there are one or two of them in the ship's log, though I have plenty more written in Halcandran. Perhaps if I had time in the near future, I could translate them for you," he assured, snuggling under the covers.

"I would appreciate it," the warrior yawned, settling in beside him. Knowing he wasn't likely to sleep right away, he lay on his back, and instinctively wrapped with wings around himself. He avoided getting too close to the smaller male, given that he was the source of all the uncertainty that unsettled his thoughts. Still, he let his eyes slip closed, at least putting up the pretense that nothing was wrong. Of course, whether he liked it or not, Magolor had cuddled up beside him anyway, nuzzling right against his wing as his consciousness slowly drifted away. He soon fell asleep, with small, quiet breaths.

Meta Knight lay wide awake for what felt like hours, half-wishing the Halcandran had kept his distance, but half-thankful he hadn't at the same time. It was this kind of conflicted feeling that kept him from sleeping.

On the one hand, the last 24 hours or so had been overall the closest he'd come to having companionship of any kind for a longer time than he cared to calculate. If there was any chance of it lasting or growing beyond what it was now, he wanted to pursue it. The idea of returning to a life of solitude after coming so close to happiness—true, lasting happiness—sounded like a fate akin to experiencing Hell.

However, he was not without his good sense, either. He still couldn't deny the very real possibility that Magolor didn't share the same desire for a real relationship, and to be honest with himself, the knight couldn't blame him if that were the case. They'd both jumped into this so quickly, without thinking it through. If it really did turn out the Halcandran's interests didn't go beyond sexual, well then it would be no one's fault but the swordsman's for allowing it to get to this state in the first place. He could have said no to the smaller male's offer if he'd wanted. There had never been any guarantee of 'strings attached,' after all. Even beyond that, he hadn't managed to find any of the answers he'd set out to find anyway. He still hardly knew anything about Magolor or his motives, and that bothered him.

Carefully, so as not to wake the other, the armsmaster turned onto his side, facing his partner and pressing just slightly closer against him. He draped one wing over them both, finally trying to set his thoughts aside.

 _'Why do you have to be so Nova-damned cute?'_ he wanted to mutter, but ended up letting out nothing more than a soft sigh instead.

 _'Maybe tomorrow I'll find whatever it is you're hiding from me.'_


	7. Chapter 7

Magolor awoke to find himself face-to-face with the still-sleeping Meta Knight. He gave a quiet sigh as he remembered the night before. It was so exciting... so amazing!

Yet, the aftermath had left him feeling conflicted. It was clear to him now that the warrior had developed some feelings for him—feelings that he wasn't sure he shared. While it was true that he greatly enjoyed the armsman's company and surprisingly had much in common with him, he was questioning whether or not he truly felt the same way toward him.

 _'I definitely like him a lot. He's one of the few people who've given me any sort of respect. He's been so kind and helpful, and at the very least, being friends with him alone is enough to make me want to stay on Pop Star after getting what I need...'_

He shook his head, finding it hard not to groan in frustration as he was unable to sort out his feelings. He nuzzled in closer to the larger male instead, trying to shove these thoughts into the back of his mind.

The gesture was not returned. Meta Knight shuddered in his sleep, wearing an expression of discomfort. Every now and again, a limb would twitch agitatedly, as if his body was making an unconscious attempt to put some distance between itself and something else. His breathing wasn't the slow rhythm of someone in a deep, restful sleep, but instead came in rasping, unsteady breaths.

"...Meta?" Magolor's ears tilted as he saw the knight's shaking form, then quickly raised upward as he heard his partner—his friend's... breathing.

"Meta? Meta, are you okay? Wake up!" He spoke louder, put his hands to the other, and shook him a little. He wasn't sure if that would help or not... If all else failed, he could get some cold water, but he didn't want to resort to that.

Luckily, he wouldn't have to. The swordsman awoke with a sudden start, fluttering his wings violently. For a short moment, the terror that had engulfed him in his sleep still remained, and the very first thing he did on instinct was to reach under his pillow for his blade. Unfortunately, his reflexes worked far faster than he was able to snap into reality, and he slashed at random.

It was only after the pillow he'd slept with was cut clean in half that he realized he'd just woken from a nightmare.

Magolor backed up to the wall, utterly terrified. His eyes were open wide, staring at the blade in fear, and silently begging for the knight to put it away, acting as though merely looking at it could kill. He supposed he could count himself lucky that he had no limbs; otherwise he was certain he would have lost one!

It took him a long moment to calm his nerves enough to speak. He cleared his throat, and tried to sound comforting, though it was clear that he was almost as shaken as his friend.

"Are... A-are you okay?" he asked, getting closer, though actively avoiding the blade, giving it a cautious glance.

Meta Knight was left staring a little wide-eyed at the Halcandran beside him for a second or two before relaxing some. He let his muscles loosen up as his grip on the hilt of his sword weakened, but he was still left panting from the burst of adrenaline he'd gotten.

"Sorry... I'm fine," he breathed heavily, willing himself to calm down and not looking forward to the explanation he'd likely have to give. It was not well-known that he still had nightmares every so often, and it wasn't something he wanted to be well-known. The last thing he wanted or needed from anyone was pity.

"I apologize for that," he spoke with sincerity, setting the sword down at his side and making a conscious effort to fold his wings back behind him. Avoiding the foreigner's gaze, he hastily reached under the two halves that used to make up the pillow he'd used, and retrieved his mask before doing anything else. He hadn't missed the fear in the Halcandran's eyes—deep, genuine, well-founded fear. If he'd slashed in a different direction just a moment ago...

He shut his eyes in an attempt to shut out the very thought itself.

"I should have had better control of myself," he muttered bitterly.

Magolor gave an awkward laugh. He wanted to say something to lift the mood a little, but he could think of nothing to cheer either of them up. He attempted to sit down beside the puff, and put a rather shaky hand against him. Partially, this was to try and comfort the knight, though it was mostly to keep his hand from shaking too much.

"I... W-well, it's not your fault. I mean, you were having a nightmare, right?" he tried to console his friend. "It looked like it was a bad one... I-I don't really blame you for that... At least no one got hurt, though... right?" Magolor's throat felt dry as he spoke. He honestly felt like _he_ had awoken from a nightmare.

"Correcto," the knight admitted, shrugging. He managed to make some progress slowing his heart rate and placed one hand atop Magolor's, resting it there. He speculated that perhaps it would be wise to take some kind of medication if he wasn't going to be sleeping alone anymore, although he hated to dull his senses or reflexes in any way. Then he realized how presumptuous that was. He still couldn't make the assumption that Magolor would be staying in his company for more than a few more days. His brow furrowed a little, something only barely visible past the visor of his signature armor piece.

"I should contact my crew at the castle before we get there," he deliberately changed the subject, taking his hand away again.

"Hm? What do you...?" Magolor paused for a moment. His mind was so busy with the current events that he had forgotten about the plans they made last night.

"Oh, right! Your ship!" Magolor's ears perked, and a small smile came across his face as that happy thought came in. However, his ears soon drooped once more, as he was still concerned for the winged puff.

"Are... are you sure you're alright, though?" He put his hands around Meta, and gave him a small hug. He wasn't too sure how to go about comforting people, but this was the best he could manage.

"I'll be fine, mi querido, I'll be fine..." the armsman murmured soothingly, leaning into the embrace. It was tempting to return the hug, but he knew he wouldn't want to let go if he did. Normally, he hated having anyone worrying about him, but in this case, it wasn't so bad. He could accept concern over his well-being on the basis of someone just genuinely caring for him, rather than trying to find weakness, but he still tried not to let it get to him much.

"We'll have to think of something to tell the others," he stated, trying a different route to get out of this conversation. As heartwarming as his lover's concern was, he didn't want to spend any more time basking in it.

"I..." Magolor's ears continued to droop. With a defeated sigh, he nodded, collecting his clothes.

"Right... What should we tell them?" he pondered aloud. He could say that he was interested in looking at the knight's ship. There wasn't anything in that explanation that indicated they were going on a... well, a date, apparently. Maybe he could claim to need fresh air, while Meta feels the need to patrol from above? He shared his ideas with the other, tossing them out in the hopes that maybe it could help spark other ideas, at the very least.

The swordsman considered each suggestion carefully as he dressed himself. He knew very well that no one in the group of three was particularly perceptive, so it likely wouldn't matter much what they said. At the same time, it was far outside of his nature to tell a blatant lie; if he could, he would prefer to say something that wasn't exactly incorrect... Finally, he settled on the best option he could think of that fit such criteria.

"Perhaps the most believable explanation is that we've all been away from the castle for some time without having contacted anyone there. That isn't terribly unusual, but I'm sure someone would appreciate being informed of what's going on," he spoke contemplatively as he worked out the idea aloud. "Of the lot of us, I can travel the fastest; I fit the role of messenger. At the same time, I _am_ due to go on patrol."

"Yeah... I can see that working." Magolor nodded in agreement as he finally got dressed. "So shall we be going together? Or will you pick me up by the road, so to speak?" He giggled a little before hovering toward the door, waiting beside it. "Oh, also, do you wanna go outside first again?" he offered. "I can wait and come out afterward like last time if you'd like."

"I'll go first," Meta Knight answered almost without thinking about it, moving to the door as well. "We can leave the ship as a pair. They'll know we're going to the same place, and you've never been there; it would make little sense to create the illusion of traveling there separately." He wrapped his cape about himself, and settled into his usual mindset of formality and indifference. It would be incredibly helpful that his typical behavior was often considered cold and distant. That way, he would only have to act like himself, and no one would suspect anything strange going on between him and the little alien.

"Alright. That sounds good, then. I'll uh... I'll wait right here for a bit, then." He went to sit by the bed as the knight left. Once he felt enough time had passed, he exited the room as well.

"Good morning, everyone! Did you all get a good night's sleep?" he asked in his faux cheerful demeanor as he looked everyone over. However, he was at a loss for words at what he saw.

Bandanna Dee was just finishing putting an inner tube around Kirby, holding one more he likely planned to put on himself in his free hand. Dedede walked over, already in one of his own.

"That next part's at the beach, right? Now's the perfect time of year for a vacation!" Noticing the shocked expression on the Halcandran's face, he added with a sly smile, "We'll get that piece back, don't worry, but we'll take our time doin' it."

 _'I'm not sure if this is a blessing in disguise... But I suppose I'll take it,'_ the foreigner thought dryly, nodding his head agreeably.

Though he did absolutely nothing to make it obvious, Meta Knight also found himself grateful for their fortunate timing. A day at the beach was far from his idea of an enjoyable vacation, and he was more than certain the king would do nothing to help that. Based on past experience, the warrior was almost completely sure he would be given an order to stop being a stick-in-the-mud, along with an inner tube of his own that he would have to use. What a ridiculous image that was.

"If His Majesty doesn't object," he began diplomatically, hoping very much that there _wouldn't_ be an objection, "I would like to take it upon myself to make a round trip to the castle today. Someone should be told where we are." He gave Magolor a significant glance, willing him to chip in as if they hadn't already planned on going together.

"...Oh! Your castle?" Magolor blurted once he noticed the knight glancing at him. "I would like to see that! I've, er... I've never seen a castle before. At least, not outside of pictures! My planet doesn't even have any rulers!"

 _'Though it does have a crown...'_

Magolor went over to the king, grabbing his hand and shaking it some, doing his best to suck up to him.

"It would simply be an honor to see your castle! I would absolutely love to know what a real one is like!" he insisted, smiling hopefully.

"...Agh... Alright, fine," the bird grumbled, "I bet old sourpuss Meta Knight wouldn't wanna join in the fun anyway. Let him show you the way, then. Just don't touch anything! I like my servants, and my stuff, where I left 'em!" Dedede ordered before lifting Kirby and Bandanna Dee off the ground as if they were luggage, and heading for the door, finding it a bit difficult to squeeze all of them out. It took some help from Magolor in order to get them all through, and with a farewell, the king took off with the other two in tow, running faster than any other person of his weight probably could.

"...He's... a strange one." Magolor was blunt in his evaluation, to say the least. He hovered through the open doorway with his friend following after.

"We've all grown accustomed to it," the swordsman shrugged resignedly, removing his cape as he did so. With one smooth motion, the cloth was tossed aside and appeared to vanish into thin air. His wings unfolded and stretched at his sides, performing the familiar and habitual warm-up exercise that was crucial before a difficult flight. He was well-rested enough that it wouldn't be necessary, were he flying solo, but that was not to be the case this time.

"We're fortunate you're not heavy," he remarked a little dryly. "It's not a terribly long walk to the castle from here, but given the option to fly, I'll take it."

"So... you're going to carry me, then? I... if you really want to, I won't stop you, but I don't want either of us to get hurt." The alien's ears lowered a bit in concern. Aside from piloting and his usual hovering a few feet off the ground, he'd never flown before.

The knight had to stifle a scoff before it could get out.

"That's the first time I've been underestimated in a long while," he reflected, moving closer to the Halcandran. "It's almost refreshing." He extended both his arms toward the other male invitingly, sending a silent prayer no one would be paying close attention to the skies.

"You'll have to hold onto me," he explained almost apologetically.

"E-eheheh... Well, I guess if you're that confident in yourself, how could I say no?" Magolor laughed a little, going over to Meta closely, and getting a good grip on him.

"Besides, it gives me an opportunity to keep closer to you, right?" He winked, though the light flirting was partially to try and calm his nerves. Silly as it may be with his ability to levitate, the idea of falling from such a great height was still scary.

The armsman embraced the smaller male, but waited a short moment before taking off. He closed his eyes just long enough to take a deep breath and exhale again.

"I'll take advantage of any excuse I can get," he replied, making sure he had a suitable hold on the other for carrying him. He folded his wings in as close to his back as he could and checked the position of the sun to pinpoint which direction to go. Once he was certain, he dashed in the general direction of the castle, getting a running start to help with the takeoff. Then, with a sudden, powerful downward flap of his wings, they lurched upward, beginning their ascent.

The knight only had to put up a very one-sided fight with gravity to get them both airborne, since Magolor was not heavy at all, and his wings were purposefully made to be more powerful than was really necessary. It took only a few more strong flaps before they were able to glide easily on the air currents. They soared high enough above the rolling meadows and patches of trees that the castle was within view, not even quite on the horizon.

Magolor was unable to take in these sights, as he was occupied with burying his face against the knight, shivering with a mixture of fear and an adrenaline rush. This was far different from his usual hovering above ground, and even more different compared to flying in the Lor! He closed his eyes and silently mouthed, _'It'll be okay, it'll be okay...'_

The winged puff was acutely aware of his companion's discomfort, and tried to angle his wings in a way that would allow more speed. The sooner they reached their destination, he figured, the better. It was clear Magolor was not as big a fan of the sky as the knight was.

"You needn't fret so much," he tried to assure the younger one as they approached their destination. "Even if you fall, I'll be there to catch you."

Under normal circumstances, even Magolor would have called that line cheesy. Unfortunately, he just didn't have it in him at the moment, and merely held on tighter, trying to fight back panic.

"M-Meta! A-are we almost th-th-there?" he managed to ask, a little hard to hear, due to the wind overpowering his more meek voice.

"Almost, Querido, almost," the other soothed, minutely adjusting the angle of his wings once again to gradually lose speed and altitude once they were in range of the castle gate. If he'd wanted to, he probably could have landed past it, but he wasn't one to ignore formalities or protocol, even if neither were taken very seriously in this monarchy. It was practically hard-wired into him to be prompt and proper, even before he'd had that sort of behavior further drilled into him in his training. He had a guest with him, and a very foreign one at that, so even though he knew full and well they would be allowed in, they were still supposed to make their presence clearly known to the gatekeeper.

He leaned back a little to position himself upright and backwinged his way to the ground, landing softly. Were no one there to see, he'd likely have continued carrying Magolor himself—maybe even bridal style—but this was not the case. Reluctantly, he let go of the smaller male and folded his wings against his back once more. Scarcely a moment later, he summoned his cape to materialize around him, wrapped up in the usual way he wore it.

The two landed so softly, Magolor hadn't realized the flight was over until a moment after the knight let go of him. This caused a slight freakout for the hovering Halcandran, as with no feet of his own to touch the ground, he believed Meta had dropped him, causing a quick yelp of fright as he finally opened his eyes, only to realize they were on the ground.

This day was certainly a fright-filled one thus far for the poor alien.

"And to think you doubted me," the swordsman jokingly admonished.

"Okay, okay, I-I'll trust you about flight from now on." He stayed beside the knight as they neared the gate.

With a moat separating the castle grounds from the outside world, this gate was the only feasible method of entry. The gate itself was a rather impressive structure that also served as a drawbridge, flanked by a tower on each side, both manned by waddle dees wielding spears. Another pair of dees stood on the ground directly in front of the mechanism that would lower the bridge. They held their spears crossed one over the other, and stood at full attention as soon as they saw their superior in rank approaching, as opposed to the half-asleep state they'd been in before.

"The visitor is under my watch," Meta Knight stated both formally and truthfully. It wasn't as if security was very uptight with unfamiliar visitors, but in his honest opinion, it should have been, so he treated it as such.

"Let us pass, and inform Captain Waddle Doo that the King, Bandana Dee, Kirby and I will likely not be returning for a few more days yet." He gestured to Magolor before continuing. "We are assisting with the repairs of my companion's ship, and he's been hospitable enough to allow us to stay there until the job is finished."

Both waddle dees nodded, but said nothing. Obediently, they cooperated to turn the crank that would lower the drawbridge, paying the foreigner no mind.

"So, will we be seeing any friends of yours here in the castle?" Magolor asked curiously, watching as the drawbridge lowered. Despite the guards' weaponry, he found himself less than worried about what they could do. He wondered if the rest of the guards and servants looked as cute and fragile as them.

"If your ship is docked here, then you must know some people."

"I'm familiar with most everyone who resides here," the armsman confirmed, leading Magolor across the bridge as soon as it was lowered. "Besides the civilians, I have a crew under my own jurisdiction, rather than directly following the King's orders." He took a moment to consider how he would be explaining this to all of them. This idea of bringing anyone unfamiliar along on a patrol seemed outlandish for him, and he wasn't yet sure he wanted anyone knowing the truth about his relation to Magolor, despite how close he was to his followers. Even he himself didn't know exactly what the nature of their relationship was; how would he explain it to anyone else? His wings ruffled just the tiniest bit under his cape as he tried to work out what to say once they inevitably crossed paths.

Unfortunately, he wasn't given much more time to think about it. He caught a glimpse of Sword Knight and Blade Knight standing atop the castle wall, no doubt keeping watch for his return. They had already spotted him and moved out of his sight, likely on their way to meeting them now.

"A whole crew? And they take your orders before the Kings'? How much trouble has he ever given you for that?" the foreigner asked cynically, raising an eyebrow. It was one thing to let an entire ship in your castle, but Magolor could not see Dedede letting an entire crew to stay at his castle that easily unless he could boss them around.

"It was part of the agreement we came to when I arrived here," the armsmaster explained. "In exchange for our protection and service, I'm allowed to have more authority over the crew than he is."

Before he could say much else, Sword and Blade arrived. It was quite obvious that they wanted to speak with their lord.

"Sir Meta Knight," Sword adressed him first, bowing. "Welcome back! It's been a couple days since you last checked in, and we were starting to worry." As Sword spoke in an accent quite unlike Meta Knight's, his gaze was slowly being directed toward the new person beside him.

"Pardon me, Sir, but might I ask who your companion is?"

"I, uh... I can answer that," Magolor spoke up, raising a hand. "My name is Magolor. I'm not from this planet. You see, my ship crashed here on Pop Star, and Meta, Kirby, and the others are helping me fix it. So... I guess I'm the biggest reason you haven't seen them for a few days... Eheheh..." Magolor rubbed the back of his head awkwardly as he concluded his explanation.

Sword folded his arms and tilted his head some. It was hard to see behind his helmet, but his expression was a somewhat incredulous one. This "Magolor" wasn't exactly formal, even adressing their leader as simply "Meta," which no one ever seemed to get away with. A strange alien indeed...

"Small wonder you haven't come back until now, then," Blade Knight commented wryly. "I'd disappear for a day or two myself, if it meant staying around someone that easy on the eyes."

"Um... th-thank you?" Magolor blushed at the comment, and made an attempt to cover his face with his hood.

The three knights were close enough to one another that under normal circumstances, Meta Knight wouldn't have minded a quip at his expense such as that one. However, hearing someone else speak that way about Magolor gave him a mild twinge of possessiveness. He couldn't let on that it bothered him, of course, so he defaulted to his usual formality instead.

"Gather the others and get the Halberd ready for takeoff," he ordered flatly, before anything else could be said. "We're leaving as soon as it's ready."

"Yessir! Though, er... might I ask why, Sir?" Blade inquired. "Are you not helping your friend fix his own vessel? Why trouble yourself with going out on patrol at a time like this?"

"The others are more than capable of retrieving the scattered pieces for now," the armsmaster answered easily, already having anticipated that question. "Pero, while they're doing that, Dream Land is otherwise rather defenseless," he reasoned, "and besides, we haven't patrolled the eastern border since over a month ago." He tilted his head upward to look to the sky, still clear and perfect for flying. "This would be a good day to do so, ¿no le parece?"

"I... Well, yes, you are correct, Sir. We certainly haven't patrolled that area in a while... Very well. Blade?" Sword turned to his companion and signaled him to follow before heading off in the direction of the ship.

"All these years, and I still don't understand that strange language..." Blade muttered as they left.

"...So, Meta, am I really that hot? " Mags eventually joked, finally lifting his hood after the lower-ranking knights were out of earshot.

"Err..." the winged swordsman was caught off-guard, hearing it put so bluntly. "That isn't the word I would use, exactly..." he trailed off, feeling oddly flustered. He was wary of making any comments about Magolor's appearance that he wouldn't take well. The first word that came to mind was 'adorable,' and the knight doubted very much it was one the Halcandran would want to hear. It sounded too patronizing.

"Hehehe... Then what word would you use, hm? Come on, you can tell me~" Magolor teased, bringing his hand around the other's side and pulling him into a quick hug. "I mean, after..." he looked around before speaking any further, "after the last two nights, there's got to be at least one word you'd use to describe me."

" _Créeme_ , there are far more than that," the armsman sighed almost wistfully, and found himself having to fight off a flood of images from the aforementioned nights before he could dwell on them. "I would be more than glad to tell you, but this isn't the time." He somewhat reluctantly pulled away from his partner's embrace and started making his way to the castle's front doors. "I have to put a word in with the workers in the kitchen before we leave."

"Fine, but I'll expect an answer next time I ask." He smirked, happy to at least know that he gave the knight some good times. "So... what's in the kitchen that you need?"

"I was thinking of what we should eat later on," the puff explained, pulling one of the enormous doors open himself, and gesturing for Magolor to go in before him. "Are steak and wine acceptable?" he ventured, naming the first few things that had come to mind for a dinner date. He was thankful that Halcandran fare seemed conveniently similar to the food on this planet, but he wasn't sure to what extent that was true.

"You... you have wine on this planet? Good wine? Are... are you sure they'll let us have any? I mean... good wine is... hard to come across, as far as I know." It was quite obvious that Meta's choice of food and drink for their little day off was one the alien more than agreed on. Just thinking about it was quite the distraction from looking around at the castle's interior as he entered.

"You would be amazed how much farther respect can get you than actual authority," the knight answered earnestly, closing the door behind them. He started down the hallway, ultimately heading in the direction of the kitchen.

"Technically, I shouldn't rank high enough to make such a request on short notice and have it fulfilled," he explained, "given that I am not of the nobility. Yet, because I have earned the respect and favor of so many in this country, I can nearly guarantee it will be done."

"Wow. You're that famous and well-liked here? That's impressive. Wish I could get as much respect from people," the younger of the two said, forcing a smile. Respect wasn't exactly something many people gave him. It practically took him ending up on an entirely different planet before he had ever been treated as a friend rather than an outcast. No matter what, that was something he really didn't want to risk letting go of...

And yet, a different feeling began to spark inside the Halcandran, if only a little. He was unsure of what it was, but...

"...Meta, have you ever had any of your admirers try to get... well... close to you?" he suddenly asked, turning to face the knight. Even he didn't understand exactly where that question sprouted from, but he couldn't help but want to know the answer.

"Yes, unfortunately, there have been several," the knight recounted, turning a corner to the left. He made sure his guest was still following close behind before elaborating.

"It hasn't happened in a longer time than I care to pinpoint. In nearly every case, it was only a matter of infatuation." He could practically still see the star-struck look of awe in the eyes of those who had tried to court him in his younger days. It had been nothing more than hero-worship rather than actual interest in who he was as a person.

"Por supuesto, that's to be expected when you've earned such titles as 'Shadowslayer,' 'Demonsbane,' and 'Sir Meta Knight the Vanquisher.'" As nice as those names sounded, he spoke them with evident disdain in his tone. He enjoyed being recognized and honored for his efforts and skills, but it had also made people view him differently at the time. Rather than being seen as an equal, he'd often been treated like a legend or myth, looked upon with a mixture of fear and reverence that kept him distant from everyone else. It had been difficult to grow accustomed to, and he was thankful that wasn't the case nearly as much anymore.

"Oh..." Magolor gripped his cape somewhat tightly as the other spoke. Did so many people really want Meta that badly? And purely because of his history? It was clear the puff wasn't fond of all of that, yet even still, the alien couldn't help but frown just slightly.

"...It sounds to me like they liked _what_ you are, rather than _who_ you are..." he finally said, no longer in his usual happy tone.

 _'Is there really no other way to get more respect, then? I really don't have any other choice...'_

"That would be an accurate way to put it," the swordsman conceded. They were nearing the kitchen now, and from the sound of it, it was far less busy than normal. He suspected the relative lack of commotion coming through the double doors was due to the King's absence, as was the lack of servants coming and going when compared to a typical day.

"I'm fortunate that isn't the case anymore," he added a little more lightly. "Since I arrived on Pop Star, I've been able to earn most everyone's esteem for who I am as a person more than what I'm capable of as a warrior. I'm likely still not the most approachable person around," he speculated, "but I'm treated as an equal and not a celebrity." He briefly reflected on the time he'd spent in Dream Land. He was still far from being extroverted at all, and there was still no one he was incredibly close to, but there were a few companionships he'd founded, and he was familiar among the locals.

"I'm still looked up to, but not quite in the same way as I used to be," he finished, holding the door open for Magolor once again.

As if to illustrate his point, a waddle dee leaving the kitchen with a full tray of drinks waved at him cheerfully while passing by, and chirped a quick but casual "Welcome back, Sir Meta Knight!"

Admittedly, it filled the alien with some hope, if only for a brief moment. Perhaps the people of this planet were naturally more welcoming to outsiders? If Meta could gain friends and respect upon arrival, maybe he could do the same!

 _'...No... people on Pop Star might respect me, but I'd still be treated the exact same back home. No matter what, I have to do it...'_ He wrapped his cape around himself a bit as he entered the kitchen, looking around for something to take his mind off of these thoughts.

He followed his friend, who entered the room filled with half-busy staff, trying to locate the head chef, or at least the sous-chef. The waddle doo who normally filled the role of executive appeared to be absent today; a dee wore the uniform instead. The second-in-command was busying himself with slicing vegetables, but still noticed Meta Knight approaching before they were within speaking distance.

"Well, we don't see you down here too often," the sous-chef commented affably once the warrior stood close enough. "Is there something you need?" He kept his eyes fixed on the task at hand, but his tone was attentive and amiable. It was the tone of someone who served every dish they made with a smile.

"Actualmente, there is," the puff replied, grateful that he'd been asked. "If I were to purloin two steaks, a bottle of your highest-quality wine, and a cook or two to prepare the meal aboard the Halberd later, would they be missed much?"

The dee swept the diced pieces of the carrot that had been in front him aside thoughtfully before answering.

"Do you know when the King will be back?" he ventured uncertainly.

"In a few more days' time."

"Then you're all set." The chef waved a hand dismissively. "He's the only one who ever gives us any trouble... other than Kirby," he muttered the last part spitefully.

"Gracias," the knight sighed in relief, bowing his head just a little. He turned back to Magolor.

"Shall we wait aboard the ship?"

"Sure. Where to?"

"It's at one end of the castle, not too far from here." The swordsman led Magolor out of the kitchen and toward their destination. A few long hallways later, they came to an unmarked door that looked the same as any other, but opened up to an elevator. The knight stepped inside first and pressed one of the only three buttons, labeled with an arrow pointing downward.

"Wait, this castle has a bottom floor? Are we... going underground?" he asked as he followed Meta Knight inside the elevator, looking at the buttons.

"Correcto," the armsmaster confirmed. "The Halberd was a project I kept secret from His Majesty for several years, until it was completely necessary to reveal it." Nearly the second he finished his sentence, the elevator began to drop with no warning.

Magolor wasn't expecting the elevator to lower so quickly, and ended up being bumped in the head before he adjusted to it.

"O-ow..." He rubbed his head with his free hand, hissing a bit. That was going to leave a bit of a mark.

"Are you alright?" the older of the two fretted slightly.

"Agh... I'm fine; probably just gonna have a bruise... S-so, how'd you keep it secret for so long? Did he just not pay close attention? Did he even know about this part being in his castle?"

"How do I put this gently...?" the knight pretended to wonder, feigning deep thought. A moment passed before he concluded, "The King is an absolute moron." He waited out a giggle from his friend before continuing more seriously.

"It's not difficult to do these things without him catching wind of it, especially since he's not particularly well-liked. Several of his followers knew of this, but didn't tell him."

"I... think I completely understand that." Despite being grateful that the king was helping him, the Halcandran was of the opinion that the King was rather rude and obnoxious. It wasn't hard to believe he treated his servants even worse.

"It's as I said before," Meta Knight shrugged. "Respect will get you farther than authority. Dedede has no respect for his subjects, so in turn, they have no respect for him, either. They'll still do as he orders them to, but nothing beyond that." As he spoke, the elevator began to slow to a stop.

"Oh... So... is he only helping rebuild my ship just to make himself look good...?" the alien asked, ears drooping a little. Ouch. That definitely did not help ease his worries...

 _'Maybe this place needs a new king. One who knows how to respect his subjects... and can have that same respect back in turn.'_

"Doubtful," the knight answered flatly. "He's not clever enough to think of that, nor would he expend the effort if he didn't genuinely want to." The elevator finally came to complete stop as he concluded. "He may be obnoxious and spoiled, but he is basically a good person at heart. Far better now than he was once, for certain."

"Oh. Really? What caused him to... change..." Magolor's question was put to a screeching halt.

The door opened up to what appeared to be a vast hangar of sorts, but occupied by only one warship that took up the majority of the space. The ship was immense; it appeared to be at least a mile long from the front end to the back. Mostly a dark, gritty bronze or black in color, the structure's most striking feature was the bow, crafted to resemble its owner's mask. In its inactive state, there were no wings visible, but there were enormous thrusters at the back end. The only weapon in plain view was the largest one, a massive laser canon mounted on the back of the main deck. Near the quarter deck, a ramp was extended from the ground to a door, and several crew members appeared to be leaving and entering through it, some of them carrying various equipment and other resources.

"That's... How did you get this thing in here? H-how do you even get it out?!" the alien suddenly asked, turning to the knight with wide open eyes. He had quickly forgotten about his thoughts about the king. He wasn't sure how large a vessel he expected the knight to have, but it certainly wasn't something of this size! This blew the Lor Starcutter out of the water! And judging by the cannon alone, it was likely more than capable of making that phrase literal... And this was simply the outside! The thought of the inside just made him more excited!

"I... where did... how did... Y-you're really letting me come onto this amazing ship?!" He was practically vibrating in anticipation.

Meta Knight wasn't able to hold back a small chuckle at the Halcandran's reaction, feeling a surge of pride. He hadn't expected his partner to be quite that impressed.

"Por supuesto," he chirped, and had to remind himself not to take Magolor's hand in his own, or outwardly show affection in any other way, for that matter. "Come, we'll look at the interior," he beckoned, already starting toward the entry ramp.

"Alright!" the younger male nodded quickly in agreement, and hovered closely behind his partner as they headed toward the ship.


	8. Chapter 8

Magolor hovered closely behind his partner as they neared the Halberd. He glanced about the hangar itself some before they entered, observing some of the people coming in and out of it, and occasionally waving when they would look his way.

"Do all of these people work under you?" he ended up asking.

"Most of them are under the King's command more than mine," the swordsman explained as they boarded the vessel. "Only a few steadfast crew members are solely my comrades. We'll likely meet them soon."

The entrance to the ship's main lobby was several feet off the ground, accessible via a ramp. Though the inside was spacious enough to hold a high number of occupants, only a few workers here and there moved about, all busying themselves with some form of preparation or another. Scarcely a moment after they stepped onto the dark tiled floor, two waddle dees from the castle's kitchen passed them with the ingredients the knight had requested for their dinner, earning a few curious glances as they headed in the direction of the galley.

"What would you like to see first?" Meta Knight asked openly. "Weapons, perhaps? You never did show me the ones on your ship, but we could still compare notes."

"Hm? Uh... weapons?" Magolor repeated, having been more focused on noting the layout of the lobby than listening. He did have an answer prepared for that question, though.

"Sure, that sounds nice, but I... I don't really have any weapons on my ship. At least, not that I could find," he lied, clearing his throat. Of course the Lor had some formidable weapons, but he didn't want to make that known at the moment. There were far too many risks in telling even just Meta Knight about them, much less allowing those nearby to hear.

"I see..." the armsman answered dryly, not at all believing what he was being told, but deciding against confronting Magolor directly about it for now. Was he really expected to believe a ship as advanced as the Lor Starcutter, and with so many other capabilities, had no weapons or combat use of any kind?

"In that case, we can skip it and look elsewhere," he suggested a bit more lightly. If Magolor wasn't willing to be open about whatever secrets the Lor was hiding in the combat department, the knight saw no reason to do so with the Halberd. That was information that could be used against him, and it would be quite unfair if he didn't have the same kind of information himself.

"A-alright!" Magolor held back a sigh of relief. Though it was clear even to him the swordsman knew he was hiding something, he just didn't feel safe giving away information like that. It was less the fact that he had weapons, and more the exact kind of weapons that he worried might make Meta Knight wary of him. After all, if he knew that those valuable ship parts being collected from all across Dream Land also doubled as powerful tools of destruction, Magolor doubted the warrior would be as inclined to help.

Just as the swordsman was about to suggest a different area to tour, he caught sight of several crew members approaching them.

"We're ready for liftoff as soon as you give the word, Sir," Axe Knight spoke first, following behind Captain Vul while Sailor Dee trailed even further back. "Mace Knight's already in the control room," the axeman informed further, stealing a curious glance at his commander's companion.

Vul was far less subtle about his curiosity than Axe Knight. He went right over and squinted at Magolor, staring closely at him, and frankly worrying the poor Halcandran.

 _'What is this guy's deal? Is there something on my face? Why is he staring at me?!'_

"...So... what's the deal with this little guy? 'S he your new pet cat or something?" the captain finally spoke, laughing just a bit before clearing his throat and stepping back. "In any case, it's as he said. The moment you give the word, we can take our ship to the skies!" he announced, jutting out his chest and looking quite proud.

"Captain," Meta Knight started with a very flat tone once he'd mentally counted to ten, "allow me to introduce you—and the rest of you all—to our guest, Magolor." He gave an indicative tilt of his head in the foreigner's direction. "His ship crash landed not far from here a few days ago and is currently being repaired. He'll be joining our patrol today, since there's nothing that can be done about retrieving the missing pieces other than to wait for now, and he's quite enjoyed Dream Land so far. I took it upon myself to offer a better view of it, since we have such a convenient opportunity."

"Um... H-hello?" Magolor mumbled quietly and waved. Having so many eyes on him certainly put him on the spot. He wasn't sure what else he could say. Thankfully, it seemed like he didn't have to say much.

"Are you sure about letting him on here? I mean, this isn't some cruise ship!" Vul brought his wings to his back and stood up straight, looking much more stern now. "Not to go against your judgment, but I at least want your word that he won't play around in here."

"Who else is there to trust with an airship more than a fellow owner and pilot?" Meta Knight reasoned, hoping the questioning wouldn't go much further, and biting back his resentment at the patronization at Magolor's expense. "Besides, it's not as if I'm absent. I don't mean to boast, but I consider this ship safe under my personal watch."

The lower-ranking knight nodded in somewhat begrudging agreement.

"Not much gets past you..." he muttered, recalling a few times in his first few weeks of recruitment when he'd stepped out of line, done a cursory job, or simply made idiotic mistakes. Even if his commander was seemingly nowhere within sight or earshot, he'd always found out about these things somehow. As long as Meta Knight was on the ship, he doubted so much as a pen could drop without him knowing.

"Well... I mean... Y-you're right, but..." Vul tried to come up with a good argument, but found himself at a loss for words at each turn. He had to admit, Meta Knight was a perfect guardian of their ship.

"A-alright, fine. But keep a good watch on him, just in case. I don't want this thing at the bottom of the ocean like the last one." With that said, the avian turned and walked off, grumbling to himself. With the captain relatively placated, Meta Knight turned his attention to the other present crew members.

"We'll take off, then," he announced, already heading for the control room and beckoning the others to follow. "The sooner we leave, the more time we have to stay airborne."

He led both his crew and his companion through a corridor that opened up to a spacious flight deck. The dashboard and ceiling near the windshield had a vast array of buttons, levers, lights, and switches of all sorts, some with labels, others without. As they entered the room, Mace Knight had been fiddling about with some of the controls, and looked over his shoulder. As soon as he saw his commander, he stood at full attention.

"Ready for takeoff, Sir," he informed with a salute.

"Start the launch sequence, the lot of you," Meta Knight ordered, taking his place at the center of the helm, and gesturing for Magolor to stay beside him, where he would be out of everyone else's way.

Each of the other crew members took their respective positions as well, occasionally pushing a button or flipping a switch here or there and relaying the status of various systems. Once it was clear that everything was fully functional and online, Meta Knight activated an intercom of sorts, and informed everyone aboard the ship that the launch sequence was about to begin. Moments later, the ceiling of the hangar opened, and the ground lurched upward, carrying the vessel with it. They were raised up to the surface, allowing a near-blinding amount of direct sunlight to come in through the wide windshield. A long runway stretched forth before them, and beyond that, a crisp blue sky.

A loud _hiissss_ sounded, followed by a faint _whiirrrr_ as the wings of the ship extended at its sides. Then, the entire vehicle began to move forward, gradually picking up speed. By the time they neared the end of the runway, they had to be moving faster than the speed a normal airplane would have needed to become airborne, but only when the thrusters were activated did they achieve liftoff, and somewhat suddenly, at that. Within only a few seconds, a great distance had grown between the Halberd and the ground.

Magolor grasped one of the knight's pauldrons, trying his best to adjust to the quick liftoff. Being a legless, hovering being had its advantages, but this was certainly not one of them. His eyes were shut tight at the sudden takeoff, and it took a few moments of being in the air for them to finally open, and for the Halcandran to let go of his partner.

"Wow... Um... I'm not used to having some... windup to flight, so to speak. I suppose I'm just used to flying in the Lor.." He chuckled a bit awkwardly, looking out at the sky through the windshield.

"Unfortunately, we don't have technology quite that advanced just yet," the swordsman replied somewhat reproachfully as he entered the coordinates of their destination. Normally, he'd steer the ship himself, but given that there were other plans for today, he left it on autopilot, not wishing to burden his copilots with the mundane task. Once the ship had reached its full altitude, it slowed down to a leisurely cruising speed.

"Since this is a simple routine patrol, I trust the rest of you to get us where we need to go, and I will be elsewhere," Meta Knight announced, making his way to the room's exit. "If something should happen, use the intercom to notify me."

Magolor watched the clouds leisurely float by, feeling somewhat calmed at the sight. He was so entranced by the familiar feeling of cruising comfortably high in the air that he only barely caught sight of Meta Knight walking out.

"H-hold on, wait for me!" he called, reaching a hand surprisingly far from his body to grab the knight's shoulder, with the rest of him following suit shortly after.

The door closed behind them, and a moment of awkward silence fell over the control room. Axe Knight was the one to break it.

"Anyone else have any idea what's up with that...?" he ventured in genuine confusion, feeling very out of the loop. He'd never seen his commanding officer act so uncharacteristically friendly to anyone before this, nor had he seen anyone else so comfortable in his presence. He and his guest acted as if they'd known each other for years. There was obviously something strange going on there.

"I don't have a clue... I don't think I've ever seen him so okay with anyone—especially someone new—putting their hands on him like that..." Sailor Dee piped up, voicing his own concerns.

"Think they might've hooked up or something?" Vul blurted, looking back at the exit just to make sure the knight hadn't been standing there, listening to them.

"Nah, there's no way." Axe Knight wrote off the idea with a dismissive wave of his hand. "I don't think Meta Knight even has a libido. Have any of you ever heard of him even dating before, let alone getting laid?"

"Yeah, you're probably right..." the captain conceded.

Magolor paused in his tracks to let out a tiny sneeze, turning his head to the side out of habit, even though his collar already covered his mouth.

"Ugh... Hope I'm not starting to catch a cold..."

"It's likely dust or something of the sort," the armsman answered dismissively. "The ship hasn't been used in a few weeks." He slowed his pace about halfway through the corridor, glancing around to make sure no one was within earshot.

"Anything in particular you're interested in seeing?" he prompted. "We can get a better window view later on, during dinner."

"Heheheh... Weeeelll~ There is something I'd like to take a look at..." The smaller one hummed, trailing a finger down his partner's body suggestively. "Wanna go to your room and... let me see?" he whispered before pulling back and acting as if that little moment hadn't happened.

"Oorrrr maybe we can take a look at your engine room? I'd like to know how this ship runs!"

The knight swallowed, and found himself particularly thankful he had a mask to cover his face. Otherwise, he was certain his blushing would be very visible. He actually had planned on making a quick stop in his quarters at some point to retrieve a book or two he'd left there, but he was less than certain about that now.

"Of course," he obliged, regaining his composure. He led his companion through the remainder of the corridor, through the lobby, and down a flight or two of stairs before they'd reached their destination. It was considerably darker below deck, with only dim overhead lights to illuminate the rather compact spaces. They came to a thick metal door that opened up to a large room, and a wave of warm air washed over them from within it, much to Magolor's delight. It seemed as though every wall in the room had some kind of machinery covering it, crowding up the room. Each component seemed to emit muted whirring, cranking, or hissing noises.

Meta Knight stepped into the center of the unoccupied room and gestured to the spaces around him. "All of this is controlled at the helm," he informed the Halcandran, "so it's rare anyone comes down here. The only time that happens is during inspection and repairs, really."

"Wow... These remind me so much of the engines back on my planet," the alien observed, looking over the complex mechanisms. "You might like that place! It's where I first learned about this sort of technology," he suggested, for once feeling some sort of pride for his place of origin, only for it to immediately be taken over by a feeling of disgust toward it, sending the alien slowly lowering to the ground.

"Really?" The knight had trouble reconciling the cluttered masses of machinery surrounding them with the simplistic, spotless, and overall bright look of the Lor Starcutter's interior. If anything, it made the appearance of the Halberd seem dingy and outdated.

"I doubt it's all that similar to Pop Star, where you're from," he replied a tad dubiously.

"Oh, no! Well... Sort of," the alien stumbled over his reply for a moment. "The engines back on my planet... Well, they're more advanced than this, but they don't even compare to the Lor. Even I don't fully understand everything about it!" He started to brighten up as the talk of technology continued. "But I digress. This technology and the stuff back on Halcandra are a lot more similar than you might think. I'd say the engines back home are only a little more complex. Maybe a decade or two ahead of this," he speculated.

"Quite a feat it must have been, then, to learn to pilot the Lor all on your own," the armsmaster commented absently.

One of the engine's components near him emitted steam with a sharp _hiss_ , and his wings twitched minutely underneath his cape in annoyance. He didn't dare remove a single piece of clothing for the sake of comfort while he and Magolor were in a dark, secluded spot where no one would find them. At the same time, the room was stiflingly stuffy, and the heat would become increasingly bothersome the longer he stayed in it.

The appreciative smile Magolor had been wearing turned into a smirk as he saw the knight's discomfort. He approached slowly upon seeing this opportunity.

"Hmmm... What's wrong, Meta? Feeling a little hot? I guess it is pretty stuffy in here..." He kept inching closer until their bodies had scarcely any space between them. "And I can imagine wearing all of that armor has to make things even worse... Maybe you should take some of it off~?" he suggested, raising Meta's mask just a bit, but not going far enough as to remove it.

The moment his mask was raised enough to expose part of his face, the knight grasped it and lowered it again, almost as fast as the blink of an eye.

"Or perhaps we could leave," he countered, keeping his tone dry and hoping Magolor would take the hint. He was determined not to engage in certain activities at all today, let alone in such a location as this. It was the only fathomable way he could think of finding out whether the foreigner actually did think of him as anything more than a sexual partner. Besides, wasn't two nights in a row enough, especially considering they'd only known one another for the same number of days?

"O-oh..." Magolor brought his hands back to himself at that, quickly gathering that the armsman was not quite in the mood for such a thing at the moment. "Um... s-sure. Uh... Maybe we can explore more above deck? Perhaps somewhere cooler than in here?" he quickly suggested, already heading to the door.

"Gladly," the swordsman replied, leading them back the way they'd come.

By the time evening rolled around, the ship was still cruising casually, high above Dream Land's eastern border. There didn't appear to be anything of interest going on below, and it was likely they would change course and return to the castle soon.

As the sun had begun to sink gradually lower toward the horizon, the ship's owner and his companion had retreated to a room that, although not intended as a dining room, served well enough as one with the overhead lights dimmed, allowing most of the illumination to come from the setting sun shining through the window on the starboard side. They had a clear view of the vast, open sky from the booth they shared.

The very same waddle dees who'd prepared the meal brought it to them, promptly setting the plates, silverware, wine, and empty glasses onto the table before leaving just as quickly as they'd come.

"This place sure is nice," Magolor thought aloud once they were alone. "I didn't think a room like this existed on the ship... Though, honestly, I should've expected it." He paused as he looked over their meal. Even at first glance, it was finer dining than anything he'd eaten in a long while.

"This is really nice of you to do for me," he eventually said, giving a small, grateful smile. "Thank you, Meta."

"It's nothing, really..." The knight removed his mask as he spoke, assured that they would be left alone for some time, yet not meeting Magolor's eyes. It occurred to him how ridiculous the entire situation was. He'd made such a successful effort at leaving behind romance and sentiment in general for so long, yet within a few short days of meeting someone from an entirely different galaxy, there they were, sitting at a table, about to have an expensive dinner with a sunset view.

He took it upon himself to remove the cork from the wine bottle and fill his glass, once again contemplating what a horrible idea it may be to continue on this way. Hopefully a drink or two would help him relax.

"Nothing...?" Magolor gave him a look of disbelief. "Not only have you been helping me fix my ship—practically my home—here you are, giving me, a near-total stranger, a really nice cruise and dinner... Really, I mean it," he insisted, trying to make sure his sincerity came across. "Thank you. You're the first person I've met that... well... that's been so kind and trusting to me..." He began to fill up his own glass the moment the knight had finished, then raised it up.

"Cheers?"

The swordsman nodded in reply, raising his own glass against that of his companion to create a small _tink_. He took a long sip, thankful that the unpleasant taste of alcohol was minimal in the otherwise sweet drink, before setting his glass back down and cutting into his steak. As he'd hoped, it had been cooked just under medium, with only a thin, faint pink line left in the middle.

"En ese caso, I should thank you as well," he admitted with an unintentional mixture of languages. "I couldn't tell you how long it's been since I even knew anyone I could do something like this with." He separated a bite-sized piece of meat from the rest of it, shifting a little in his seat. "Pero I'm sure you're sick of hearing me talk about the past, hm?" he added self-consciously.

Magolor took a sip as well, savoring the taste of the well-aged wine before swallowing.

"Oh, no, I'm not sick of it at all! It sort of makes me glad to know I can... well... That I matter to someone." He gave a genuine smile that was only visible in his eyes. "I'm so happy to be an important person in your life."

With that said, he began to cut into his own steak, having to pull his collar down a little to take bites. He shivered at the warm, delicious taste, and he had to hold himself back, lest he devour the rest at once. The other male took a bite of his own cut as well, but was significantly less enthusiastic about eating it. He chewed slowly to savor it, appreciating the hint of spices and seasonings used to add flavor. He tried contemplating what to say next, but couldn't find a subject that seemed appropriate. The knight wound up staring out the window in silence instead, gulping down more of his drink and inwardly fretting over how bad at this whole dating thing he was.

Magolor took a few more bites of his steak, but was quick to stop as he looked at the knight and noticed how distracted he was. The lack of conversation was concerning... Was he still mad about what happened earlier? Or was there something else?

"Meta? Is everything alright?" he asked, reaching across the table to place a hand on the other's shoulder. His ears were low, indicative of his concern.

"Hm?" The knight blinked once and snapped back to attention, almost as if out of a trance. He hadn't realized how long he'd been watching the clouds pass by outside, nor had he expected the Halcandran to reach that far and touch him.

"Lo siento. I'm alright, really." He tried to make his reply sound convincing, but wasn't sure whether he succeeded. He took a rather large bite of his meal, if only as an excuse not to have to speak for a moment, giving him time to steel his nerves.

"Are you _really_ okay, Meta? Is... Is something bothering you?" He put his silverware down, feeling less hungry now. It was clear to him that something was on the warrior's mind, and he was not going to rest until he found out what.

The winged swordsman gave no immediate answer. He still wasn't looking his date in the eye. He finished off the last of what was left in his glass, and took his time about it. He could think of many answers to that question, but he wasn't willing to say any of them aloud.

 _'Oh, nothing that terrible. I'm only sitting across from the one person in the stars-damned galaxy who can take complete and total advantage of me, and I'm not even sure whether he means to. I could be making another horrible mistake that will impact me for the rest of my near-infinite life, that's all.'_

"I guess you could say I'm slightly worried," he said finally, pouring himself a refill. "I can't help but think we rushed into all of this too quickly." He hoped Magolor would accept that answer. It wasn't exactly a lie, after all.

"Oh... I-I see." Magolor found himself mimicking his partner somewhat, staring blankly outside the window as he pondered his next response.

 _'What can I say? He's right. This has gone so fast in only a few, short days time. But... these few days have been the best days of my life. For once, someone respects me. For once, someone appreciates me. For once, someone likes talking to me!'_

He took another sip of his drink...

"...For once, I found someone whom I like being around... that I have so much in common with, and that I can hang around with, and trust..." The alien trailed off as he realized he'd been speaking aloud, and cursed himself for having developed that habit. He turned back to the knight, covering his mouth in embarrassment.

The knight had to restrain himself not to chuckle at the Halcandran's slip-up.

"A little too much wine, hm?" he allowed himself a good-natured joke instead, and punctuated it with another sip of his own drink, raising an eyebrow. He set the glass down again before reacting a little more seriously.

"I'm glad you feel that way," he said in full sincerity, meeting the other male's eyes. "I've enjoyed our time together as well. That's part of what worries me."

"What about it worries you?" The hand that had been resting on the knight's shoulder moved to lightly grasp his free hand. The way he was speaking, something definitely seemed wrong.

The armsman shifted a little in his seat, wings rustling his cape as he debated whether or not to give the real answer this time.

"I just..." he started, and wasn't able to keep some of the truth from spilling out, even knowing it would make him more vulnerable than he already was. It was too tempting to just give in and confide in someone for once. Besides, he was sure the Halcandran would ferret the answer out of him eventually anyway.

"I haven't felt this way for anyone in a long time," he admitted, his voice faltering just the teeniest bit.

Magolor had a hard time keeping the sense of triumph he felt from becoming evident. He really _was_ getting to him, after all. He practically had Meta right where he wanted him.

The problem now was he might be starting to feel the same way.

"You're... worried about what might happen, right?" he guessed. "You're worried that this won't work out the way we thought it might. The way we want it to. I... think I know the feeling." He took another sip from his glass, nearly emptying it.

Meta Knight nodded solemnly, almost finishing off his glass as well. He was faintly aware of the alcohol starting to get to him, but couldn't bring himself to care.

"Perhaps I shouldn't say this, but..." the armsmaster swallowed before he could finish his sentence. He could practically hear the sensible part of his brain screaming at him to shut up, but he kept talking anyway, not caring enough anymore to stop.

"The last time I tried this, it ended... unfavorably."

"U-unfavorably?" Magolor repeated, lowering his glass, and bringing his hands to his sides. He could tell that what Meta might say next was not going to be the start of a pleasant conversation.

" _Very_ unfavorably," the swordsman confirmed. "I'll spare you the details if you'd rather not hear them, but... Francamente, there's a reason I haven't done any of this in so long." He finished off his second glass, hesitating before pouring a third. He ate another bite or two of his steak instead. It was only warm now instead of hot.

"What happened? You can tell me," the Halcandran offered encouragingly.

"Well..." he started, hardly believing he was going to actually explain this, "it had lasted for quite some time. At least three years, perhaps four," he speculated, not wanting to dig deep enough into the memory to find an accurate answer. "I cared for her more deeply than anyone I've ever known, and I had thought she felt the same for me," he went on, and had to pause for a moment to take a deep breath. He felt as if he were cutting deep into a scar he'd gotten long ago that had never healed quite right to let it bleed again, hoping that this the wound would vanish completely after the pain was gone. This was something far more personal than he would ever share with anyone else, but he wanted so badly to be able to confide in someone. He was so tired of the solitude he'd buried himself in all this time. It was only natural to have a need to share your troubles and griefs with someone, wasn't it?

"Had I not kept her in my thoughts, I'm certain I would have lost many more battles than I did," he admitted reluctantly. He didn't dare refer to this person as anything other than 'her.' The name was to bitter on his tongue to speak.

"I was sure we would marry one day, once that war was over, but..." he faltered, feeling his voice start to shake. He had to steady it again before saying anything else. He was absolutely _not_ going to allow himself to come anywhere near tears. Not in front of anyone. Ever. He refused to stoop to such a pathetic level, even with his judgment skewed.

Magolor was starting to regret asking about this at all. He didn't like seeing the knight getting so torn up like this, but he fought it back and asked anyway.

"... But...?" he pressed, gentler than before.

The swordsman's wings trembled just the tiniest bit under his cape, which he subsequently wrapped tighter around himself as if it were a lifeline. He wrestled whatever emotions were threatening to boil up to the surface back into submission and put a wall up around them, keeping his voice completely even.

"... But then I returned home early from service one day," he finished, his voice sounding suddenly hollow. "I wanted it to be a surprise, so I didn't tell her ahead of time, and..." Even with the mask covering his face, his expression visibly hardened. There was a smoldering rage there, clearly visible within his eyes, even though his voice sounded calm.

"There was someone _else_ there. With her."

"O-ohh... I..." Magolor tried to say something, but he was at a loss. Suddenly everything he'd been building up to, everything he had planned, felt... far more questionable than it ever had. He'd never been able to sympathize with anyone before, but now, hearing Meta Knight speak about this... It was impossible not care, at least a little.

"What, um..." Magolor faltered, now more aware than ever what the implications of his plans were. "What did you do?" he asked helplessly, fearing what exactly the knight was capable of when he was pushed that far. How did he react to being hurt so deeply? How would he react if—when—it would happen again?

"I gathered my things, left, and told myself I would never be close to anyone again," the winged swordsman answered with a sense of crumbling resolve. "That way, I couldn't be hurt. Nothing could get to me." Finally, he looked into the Halcandran's eyes again, but there was no searching this time, no gauging reactions. He looked him in the eyes for no reason other than to convey the honesty of his next statement.

"Now I fear I could make the same mistake again."

"I..." Magolor looked back down at his food. The knight still had doubts about him... and he was completely right to do so.

 _'This is it, then. It's now or never. I have to make a decision. Should I go ahead and follow my current feelings? Or wait until it's safe?'_

After waiting quite a bit, going back and forth over and over in his mind, trying to think of all the consequences, he finally closed his eyes and spoke. There was no point in stalling any longer.

"Meta Knight... You're the only one who's ever put so much trust and faith in be before. You're the first one to really care about me to this extent. And... Well... I think... I-I think I feel the same about you as you feel about me... Y-you know... I uh... I-I like you." His voice gradually got quieter and quieter as he lost confidence. He fretted over both how sincere he was really being, and how his companion would react.

Meta Knight gently pushed his plate aside, along with his glass, to reach one hand out and place it atop that of his partner.

"I'm honored," he murmured, "and fortunate." He squeezed the smaller male's hand in his own. "I want to pursue this. I want it to last."

"M-me too. Thank you, Meta. Thank you for everything you've done for me in the past few days. I don't think I'll ever forget anything that happened since I landed on Pop Star." He opened his eyes and looked back up at Meta, smiling sincerely.

 _'I hope I'm not taking this too fast...'_

The knight gave a weak smile of his own in return, feeling his fears and doubts melting away.

"Well, then..." He retracted his hand and reached instead for the wine bottle, which was still half full. "Shall we finish our dinner before landing?"

"Heheheh... Yes, we should." Magolor nodded, raising his empty glass for the knight to fill as well. "Cheers?" He repeated, feeling far happier than he had in some time.

"Cheers," Meta Knight echoed, obligingly filling both glasses.


End file.
